Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut

In the novel “Player Piano” by Kurt Vonnegut the development of machines is the cause of almost all the problems that occur in the book. The machines overtook many jobs that the average citizen would do. This caused many men and women to feel left out and didn’t allow them to enjoy life as they should. Later on in the novel some citizens of the upper-class begin to realize what terrible things that they are doing by allowing the separation of people to continue. The machines destroyed society.

Before the Machines had taken all of the jobs of the people everyone was happy with their lives. “Use to be there was a lot of damn fool things a dumb bastard could do to be great, but the machines fixed that.”(pg.207) in other words this quote states that all of the machines took all the dangerous jobs that made a guy feel manly so now if a man wants to work he has to have a lame boring job that gives him no satisfaction. People that got to keep their businesses like barbers were unhappy and scared all the time because they didn’t want to lose their job to a machine. They felt like they were worth something and their life had a purpose. When the Shaw visits Edgar and Wanda’s house he is told by Dodge that the machines have improved their lives and made them happier. He is totally wrong; they are extremely unhappy and have a terrible relationship not only with each other but with their children. Edgar explains to Linda that he feels useless because he is just a Reek and Wreck; he says that nobody is ever going to appreciate his work. “I’m no good, Wan, no good.”(pg.167) This quote shows that Edgar is sad with the way his life is going, he feels useless to Wanda. He feel’s like he isn’t able to provide her with