The Pianola Humanity Theme Of Alienation And Philosophy Resolution

As a representative author in modern American literature, Kurt Vonnegut has written many influential works in his half-century writing career, and that is why scholars have attempted to make a thorough study of his works. However, his first novel Player Piano did not capture much scholarly attention, for scholars usually viewed it as a popular work of science fiction. Till now, there have been few research papers on this novel, and it still has not been translated into Chinese. In fact, after a close reading, one can easily find out that this novel is actually a serious work with its author's deep worry about humanity and the future of human society. Through the use of the Western Marxist's proposition of"alienation", this thesis closely analyzes the horrible damage on humanity and human society in Player Piano caused by"alienation". After a close analysis of the horrible damage on humanity and its relationship to society, other men and nature caused by"alienation", this thesis summarizes the realistic causes(namely war, the negative influence of the development of science and technology and the shackles of the social system) and spiritual root (self-conceit) of the alienation of humanity.