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Zhang Pengsong’s A Reflection on Modernity in the Context of Utopia offers a deep examine of the value of utopianism, especially in modern society. Instead of positive imagine for a perfect life, utopianism equals ideas that are unrealistic and irrational nowadays. However, the original purpose of utopianism, which is to express the dissatisfaction of the existing social system by offering an ideal new option, should never be forgotten. As a utopian socialist, Rice is a confirmed reformer who determines to expose and combat the evil of the society in order to bring freedom and happiness to the people. That is exactly the source of Rice’s utopian thought and the purpose of his play.
1.3 The Purpose of this Thesis
This paper aims to examine the theme of Elmer Rice’s masterpiece The Adding Machine by analyzing the major symbols in the play. In this play, the numbers, the court, and the paradise are all employed as meaningful symbols to demonstrate the major theme. Rice made scathing critique towards the loss of humanity in the actual society. In an indifferent society of mechanization and mass production, the deep-rooted Puritan morality in people’s hearts and the shallowness of human relations deprive the humanity and dignity of every inpidual. People become heartless and alike. But as a pious utopian socialist, Rice demonstrates a strong belief in the free and merciful destination of the human being. He believes that everyone has the opportunity to choose a better life, to follow one’s own heart and to live with freedom and happiness. The only obstacle is the demon deep in everyone’s heart which is the product of an acquisitive society in which the craving for material things seems never satisfied.
This thesis is composed of three major parts. The first part is the introduction which gives a brief introduction of the author and the play. This part also includes the literature review and the purpose of the paper. The second part is the main body which deals with the analysis of the three major symbols in the play. The use of symbols is the author’s main technique and an ingenious arrangement in order to better express the theme. The third part is conclusion which summarizes the main theme of the play and the social ideal of the author.
Rice is a dedicated reformer who is determined to change that situation by writing evocative plays, helping awakening groups and doing whatever he can to send out the massage of freedom. Focusing on the analysis of the main symbols in the play, this paper tries to examine the inner world of the author, including his morals, values, belief and his aspirations of society.
2 Major Symbols Demonstrating the Theme of Humanity Loss
In The Adding Machine, the most important element in revealing the theme is not the plot or the story, but the symbols. The author puts so much efforts in every detail that none of them appears insignificant or dispensable. A deeper meaning and purpose beneath the surface can be found in all arrangements, for example, the names of the characters, the process of the trail, the meaning of the graveyard scene and the existence of the Elysian Fields. Three major symbols will be analyzed in this part.
2.1 The Loss of Inpidual Identity and Dignity—the Numbers
It is the author’s ingenuity that numbers are used throughout the play, which makes the title “The Adding Machine” quite suitable. Numbers can stand for money or capital, which becomes the dominator of the society. They can represent the meaninglessness and dullness of daily work in capitalist society. Or, they can symbolize the loss of personal humanity and interpersonal communication. In either case, numbers are important in conveying the theme of this play.
2.1.1 Dehumanization Showed in the Characters’ Names
Instead of giving the characters meaningful names or random ones, the author chooses to name them in numbers. The protagonist is Mr. Zero; his wife is Mrs. Zero. And their friends are the Ones, the Twos, to the Twelves. The clever satire in the names is a sharp protest of the loss of human identity, which can also be seen through the author’s description of their appearances. At a party in Mr. Zero’s house, the Ones to the Sixes show up in an ironic way. The six men are in different shapes and sizes but they wear identical clothes, except for the color of the wig. The women also wear similar dresses in different colors (Elmer Rice, 1965: 16). The clothes they wear is only a trivial detail, but the author is meticulous enough to notice and utilize it as a perfect irony of the dehumanization.