Player Piano

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1952

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Symbols & Motifs

The Grotesque

One subtle motif in the novel is Vonnegut’s use of the grotesque as a way of undermining and critiquing the elite, ruling class. Many of the names of things have a connotation that is either bodily or self-critical. Take the name of the supercomputer, for instance: EPICAC, which is close to ipecac—a drug used to induce vomiting. The subtext then, through naming the computer this, shows obvious disdain for the machines.

The Value of the Antique

Antiques are prized as relics of some bygone civilization in the novel, which is not altogether different from how they are seen today. There’s an inherent irony in the way that certain characters place value and worth on their antique things: Kroner on his shotguns, Anita on her furnishings. The characters fail to see that the happiness these objects give them they themselves are actively working to destroy.

The Player Piano

At the saloon, Paul accidentally starts the player piano, and, later, Finnerty plays the player piano in a haunting manner. A player piano is a mechanized piano that has gears and triggers that spring and cause the piano keys to move up and down seemingly on their own, creating music. As the title of the novel, it’s important to note that the almost ghostly way the keys move serves as a