“Player Piano” by Kurt Vonnegut – The Automated Future

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Short Summary

Kurt Vonnegut‘s extensive bibliography isn’t short on bestsellers, but I see many people overlooking his first novel, Player Piano, which seems a little strange considering how well it resonates with modern times. It tells the story of an engineer, Paul Prodeus, living in a totally automated American society in the future, increasingly desperate to find some true meaning to his life.

Kurt Vonnegut Glimpses the Future

Many thinkers and visionaries have rightfully expressed their concerns over the rise of machines in the human world, imagining countless future scenarios where they push us to obsolescence. In his often-overlooked debut novel titled Player Piano, Kurt Vonnegut peers into a mechanized future which is honestly not too far removed from our own, and not to mention, pretty terrifying.

The story takes place in the fictional city of Ilium, New York, and after the Third World War which prompted some heavy societal changes. While most Americans were off fighting against the enemy, the managers and engineers back home devised a myriad of ways to automate as many things as possible in their society.

As a result, ten years later, most workers have been replaced by machines, with the managers and engineers living a life of luxury on the North side, and the rest being relegated to a place called “Homestead”. The hero of the story, Dr. Paul Prodeus (in the future, everyone holds a doctorate), a man who has inherited his father’s grandiose reputation as an economic genius.

Paul, however, doesn’t share the same enthusiasm most of his colleagues, so-called friends, and wife does about his life in Ilium. He feels uncertain about this industrial system he’s living in, about how much it allows people to express their humanity, not to mention, about his own contributions to society. When his friend, Ed Finnerty, quits his job as an engineer in Washington, Paul receives the little bit of affirmation he needs to start swimming against the current.

As Paul visits the “Homestead” part of town along with Ed Finnerty, he begins to develop an ever-increasing appreciation and love for their archaic, non-automated lifestyle. Slowly but surely, the seed of discontent grows within him, with a whole revolution awaiting him on the horizon… with that being said, how much can a few people hope to accomplish against an entire system?

I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.

― Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano

The Automatic Society in Player Piano

Before going into the actual review, I would first like to share a few words about the style of writing in Player Piano. If you’ve read some of Kurt Vonnegut‘s most popular works, then you likely think of him as someone who keeps his text short, sharp, and concise. It is obvious that in this first effort of his he hadn’t yet developed his style to its full potential, though the beginnings of it are visible. It doesn’t harm the novel in any way, but it is something to keep in mind before diving in.

In any case, as is abundantly clear from the very first pages of the book, the automation of American industry and its widespread effects on all demographics is by far and large the primary theme of this book. Virtually everything which happens in the story is somehow related to this concept, and the author makes a great point for how utterly terrifying it effortless luxury could turn out to be.

While naturally, one is free to agree or disagree with the way in which Vonnegut portrays this future, in my personal opinion, I think he captured quite well just how vapid and meaningless much of human existence would become. Time and time again we see people deprived of purpose, deprived of fulfilling their desire to be helpful and useful, relegated to lives of boredom where all has been decided in advance.

It is true that we aren’t exactly there yet, but the trend we see in the modern world should worry anyone with a little bit of foresight. As our industry becomes increasingly automated, more people find their talents, abilities and education becoming increasingly obsolete, putting people out of jobs, or putting them in positions of lesser and lesser responsibility. As a result, many find themselves robbed of purpose (what they ought to consider as their purpose is another debate), with no other talents or abilities to fall back on.

If we’re not careful to curb the advancements in automation and artificial intelligence, I think we’re likely to eventually end up in a society with the same problems as the ones faced by the people in Player Piano. Logically, there can come a point where automation leaves very little for people to do, which can not only force us to make our lives superficially interesting, but will also push humanity towards regression as a whole.

And a step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction.

― Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano

The Faith of the Machine

Player Piano is actually a bit longer than your average Vonnegut novel, and this is in part due to the fact that he dedicates a fair bit of time to describing the society on Ilium, how the automation systems work, and most importantly, how the people live. One of the recurring elements which, in my opinion, also draws heavy parallels with the real world, is the blind faith which people place in technological advancements.

If you think about it, most of us have accepted computers, televisions, smartphones, and Lord-knows how many other gadgets into our lives without so much as a second thought. Most people in the modern world (at least here in North America) truly have a blind faith in technology, accepting any and all innovations with open arms, as long as they make life easier.

Naturally, Kurt Vonnegut expands on the subject on many occasions, consistently providing examples of how such an air-headed approach to progress can lead to disastrous consequences, to dependencies which can never be rectified again. Even though things are taken to a far extreme in this novel which our world fortunately hasn’t yet seen, I found it difficult to disagree with Vonnegut‘s assessment of where humanity might ultimately be heading.

Amidst all this social commentary, there is of course a plot, largely revolving around Dr. Paul Prodeus’ personal journey to break free from the shackles of meaninglessness, to join those in “Homestead” as a truly free human being with a commendable purpose in life. While it does move a little slowly, it does come with some interesting twists along the way, not to mention some of those funny and hard-hitting observations the author is now so well-known for.

Many novels which predict the future tend to fade into obscurity, becoming less and less relevant with each passing year. Not so for Player Piano. In my opinion, it is sadly only becoming more and more relevant the more our industry becomes automated and the more machines we replace ourselves with, and ultimately, our descendants also seem bound to end up following the faith of the machine.

PAGES	PUBLISHER	PUB. DATE	ISBN
352	The Dial Press	Jan. 12, 1999	978-0385333788

The Final Verdict

Player Piano was an excellent debut novel from Kurt Vonnegut, even if it isn’t quite as poignantly-written as some of his later bestsellers. It still combines his trademark piercing and dry humour with an incredibly insightful and truthful glimpse into what might await humanity, should we continue down our current path. One day, we might find this book to have been more of a prophecy than a novel.

If you’re in search of a thought-provoking and humorous novel dealing with the rise of technology, or are simply considering exploring Vonnegut‘s earliest effort, I very strongly recommend adding this novel to your collection. After all, who knows? We might one day be living this story.