Player Piano

Quote: "Anita had the mechanics of marriage down pat, even to the subtlest conventions”
"I love you, Anita."

The above two quotes seem to correlate perfectly with each other. Both relay the idea Vonnegut's theme of mechanization, and mechanical workings in personal relationships. Machines essentially took over Illium in Player Piano. Even the marriage of Paul and Anita seemed mechanical. All they did was go through the motions, there was no passion. It was just like the society, there was no individual thought, efficiency was the only known proficiency. The automated nature of Paul's job carried over into his personal life. These two quotes combined perfectly represent the society as a whole.

Motif: "Doctor"

Everyone who had any resemblance of a shred of importance in this novel was refered to as "doctor". There were doctors of real estate and the equivalent. People were so insecure in themselves that they made up countless titles to refer to each other. The people in Illiad were so emotionally-needy that they disregarded reason and logic, making it so anyone can be seen as esteemed. Though they refused to notice, this flaw was truly degrading.
The title "Doctor" was used so often that it lost all importance and meaning. In our society today, doctors are viewed with admiration and respect. It is a prestigious honor to recieve a doctorate. In Illiad, the society significantly lowers their standards so the citizens can feel good about themselves. By calling themselves "doctor" they tricked themselves into thinking that they were more important than the machines. This, of course, was not true, for the machines were replacing human occupations at an alarming rate. The citizenry was in a constant state of denial.

Reaction:

I loved this book. Player Piano is a work of satirical masterpiece. I instantly fell in love with Vonnegut's ironic and sardonic sense of humor. His use of black humor enhanced the overall purpose of his novel. It was a rather easy read, and it was quite entertaining. I also thought it was interesting how instead of addressing a current problem, like most satirists do, he tried to preemptively discourage a potential future problem. Because of the realistic nature of the problems addressed, the fears could certainly prove true in years to come. The transformation into a completely automated society is already underway and making frightening headway...