player piano. theme.

Vonnegut addressed a number of themes in Player Piano however one of the most prevalent is the ignorance of the human race. Although Dr. Paul Proteus is originally made out to be this great engineer it is soon revealed that the term "Doctor" is overrated in their society. The first sign of human ignorance and stupidity comes from the satirical and classical Vonnegut style example of Bud Calhoun. As an excellent designer Bud created a machine that did his job for him, however it did it so well that he was no longer needed. Bud, in his lust for creating new things, did not think about the consequences of his actions and therefore must now suffer the consequence of being outdone by a machine. The society in the novel did not think about the consequences of the technology they were feasting on and therefore has become a society dependent on them.

This dependency is seen when the Shah of Bratpuhr visits the nation. As he takes his tour he witnesses how much humans have come to rely on the machines more than themselves. For example, the housewife who is bored most of the time and who wants to do laundry by hand to occupy her time. Another example comes from the computer, EPICAC XIV that the Shah encounters. Americans hold the piece of machinery in such high regard and believe it to know all, however when the Shah asks it an ancient riddle it is unable to answer, thereby proving its total efficiency.

Finally the end of the novel is almost a testament to the entire theme. After the rebellion and the Illium works is destroyed along with the machines in the adjoining town, the members of the town, members that took place in the uprising, the people who just destroyed all the machines, were choosing to put them back together. The "Reeks and Wrecks" those who jobs the machines replaced began to build the machines all over again. This only further adds to the satiric attack on human ignorance throughout the novel.