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Masculinities in Player Piano : Hegemonic Masculinity as a Totalitarian State

<p>Vonnegut envisions a plutocratic America where the </p><p>aforementioned periphery has been made obsolete, where a corporate </p><p>oligarchy supersedes the presidency in authority. An example of </p><p>this structure is the absent father of the main character Paul </p><p>Proteus, George Proteus, who was before his death the National </p><p>Industrial, Commercial, Communications, Foodstuffs and Resources </p><p>Director, a position which might have been below the presidency at </p><p>that time , but the scales have tilted towards total domination by </p><p>those who fuel the economy, i.e. the corporations. The </p><p>‘unenlightened’ Shah, spiritual leader of Bratpuhr who is visiting </p><p>America to learn about the great American society, shakes his head </p><p>and calls it “Communism” (21), which it is, with the exception that </p><p>there is no Communist Party. In its place is the oligarchy of the </p><p>corporations which the government allows to prevent inefficiency.</p><p> I argue that the hegemonic masculinity, or the masculinity of the </p><p>patriarchy, provides both motivation and justification for the men </p><p>who are constructing the totalitarian state of Player Piano. I will </p><p>furthermore look at the effects, on both society and the </p><p>individual, of a hegemonic masculinity.</p>

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA/oai:DiVA.org:hh-4220
Date January 2006
CreatorsBirgersson, Jonas
PublisherHalmstad University, School of Humanities (HUM), Högskolan i Halmstad/Sektionen för Humaniora (HUM)
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, text

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