Gender Marriage and the Cold War

Author: Jerry Linkhart
English 350
Medevoy

The futuristic visions presented by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Player Piano) and Robert Heinlein (The Puppet Masters) provide the reader with differing perspectives marriage and gender. Both narratives are presented by men; moreover, both Paul Proteus and Elihu, are married (or soon to be) Both of these books were written during a time of great turmoil in American history. The nation was just beginning to recover from the devastation of World War Two, and trying to go back to negative social patterns of the past. "Trying" is the operative word, because men, women, and minorities had been given a taste of autonomy, which they did not wish to let go of. The two authors make use of the science fiction genre, to shed light on the growing dissatisfaction of the status quo.
Vonnegut gives the reader a clear look at what he believes will happen if there is no change, and Heinlein provides a perspective of how untrue gender stereotypes of the time were. The Puppet Master turns the tables on men and women, by showing that men can cry, and that they can show fear. By comparison the female protagonist (Mary) is shown to be smart, savvy, and able to hold her own (sometimes surpassing) her male comrades. Paul and Anita by contrast have a dysfunctional (and loveless) relationship because society will not allow them to escape from their expected roles in society.
The United States of the future (In Player Piano) has been transformed to the point where its appearance paralleled the popular idea of what it was like behind the iron curtain. Computers determine the course of a person's life, and there can be no deviation short of "dropping out" of society. The most valued asset in this futuristic nightmare is an incredibly high I.Q. The "men" with high scores are given more privileges, while those less fortunate are forced into menial tasks in exchange of government handouts. The men of the Reeks and Wrecks are virtually impotent, and women are looked upon in much the same way. The value they have is based upon there desirability level.

" Sex can still batter down all sorts of social structures
-- you're right," Lasher agreed.

"Big tits will get you in anywhere," said Finnerty. "
Well, it's comforting to know that something hasn't
changed in centuries, isn't it? Lasher smiled. (P.P 93-94)

This exchange between the two men makes it clear that perceptions and generalizations were ingrained throughout the nation. The ever-loyal Katherine, is an anomaly. This obsolete form of secretary is saved for sentimental reasons.

"Doctor Katherine Finch was his secretary, and the only
women in the Illiam Works. Actually, she was more of a
syrabol rank than a real help, although she was useful as
a stand-in when Paul was ill or took a notion to leave
work early. Only the brass--plant managers and bigger--
had secretaries." (2)

Paul's wife also has her place in society, and she plays her part quite well. Anita is just what she seems to be. (A trophy wife) Her sum value is wrapped around her social skills, beauty, and sexual prowess. The only outside interests in her life (interior design etc.) are superficial, and pursued in the hopes that they will help attain social status. Paul cannot shake this concept of his wife even in his fantasy life. This can be shown when Paul envisions what life would be like were he and Anita to have lived in the past.

"As, in his imagination, he brought home a bear to
Anita, and she cleaned it and salted it away, he felt
a tremendous lift--the two of them winning with sinew
and guts a mountain of strong, red meat from an
inhospitable world.. And he would mold more bullets,
and she would make more candles and soap from bear fat,
until late at night, when Paul and Anita would turable
down together on a bundle of straw in the corner, dog-
tired and sweaty, make love, and sleep hard until the
brittle-cold dawn…" (P.P 111)

Paul has described a "so called" partnership that was popularly seen as the ideal during the 1950's. True Anita isn't vacuuming in pearls, but her purpose in life centers around domestic responsibilities. She is seen as a submissive mate who worships the ground her husband walks on. Vonnegut shows through Anita, that this idea of an idyllic union was simply a façade. When the façade is threatened by Paul's behavior, he is devastated by her lack of loyalty. In an ironic twist Anita must break the ideal of loyalty, so that she can preserve her vision of how things "should be"
The "tough as nails" pairing of Sam and Mary in The Puppet Masters is centered around a relationship based on mutual respect. Heinlein show's that a man and woman can accomplish the same things in the workplace, using their own individual talents. Mary does not just bring sex to the table; she is a dangerous adversary who perplexes her husband with her ability to conceal various firearms. Sam also expressed his admiration of her individualism with his reflections of their honeymoon.

" I knew the she did not mean that guns were her
weapons; she meant something older and more primitive.
True she could fight like a bad-tempered Kodiak bear
and I respected her for it, but she was no Amazon. An
Amazon desn't look that way with her head on a pillow.
Mary's true strength lay in her other talents." (P.M 220)

Heinlein has essentially blurred the lines of what it means to be a female. He has not placed an either-or label upon Mary; rather he has allowed this Character to retain her femininity and still be a force to be dealt with. The common perception of women in the 1950's, was that a beautiful woman was essentially outmatched by the "more dominant" male. Women that did not "need" a man to get by, were "suspect" and labeled as queer. Mary is much like the attacking aliens in that she is able to assimilate into an unsuspecting society. The power that she and the slugs have in common, is the element of surprise. The group mentality of the nation is that if we haven't seen it then it does not exist at all. With this in mind, Heinleins work parallels the growing paranoia of the American public. The idea that a communist could look like anyone made everyone a potential threat. The fact that this growing fear is disguised in the form of science fiction, is further evidence of the point Heinlein was trying to make.
Vonnegut uses a similar "insidious" threat (machines) to show how we can be threatened by something we take for granted. There is a quote that the author of this essay once heard that helps put the gist of this noel in context with the times. (Note to instructor I do not know who this is attributed to)

"First they came for the Jew's, but I wasn't a Jew so
I did nothing. Then they came for the gypsies, but
I wasn't a gypsy and so I did nothing. Then they came
for the Christians, but I wasn't a Christian and so
I did nothing. Then they came for me and there was no
one left to save me"

I realize this is not an exact quote, rather something that exists in my memory. The point is that the people in the book are replaced one by one from the Lawyers, to the production line worker. No one is safe from the inevitable fact that anyone can be replaced by a piece of machinery. A state of apathy has been created as a result of this knowledge. The men have simply resigned themselves to their fate, just as the women to theirs of domestic servitude. This resignation to the laws of society has created a "snowball" effect that makes everything a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In The Puppet Masters we are shown that a few people (both male and female) can make a difference. The key to understanding the success of the revolt is that the mission itself takes top priority. Over any petty biases within the group. The fact that the enemy could be anyone makes it essential that they work as one cohesive unit. Paul and his band of followers preach an elitist message that lacks the punch needed to rouse an apathetic public. The fate of this rebellion and the return of the status quo is shown at the meeting of the ringleaders. Katherine is relegated to the position of tee shirt procurer, and the leaders are shown to be the Engineers that created the mechanistic nightmare to begin with.

"Sounded pretty good," said the security chairman, "but
shun't there be sumpin' in there 'bout--Well, I'm no
good at worRAB, but somebody else could fix it up. I
don't know how to say it good exactly." "Go on,
try," said Finnerty

"Well it just don't seem like nobody feels he's worth
a crap to nobody nomore, and it's a hell of a screwy
thing, people getting' buggeredby things they made
themselves."

The dialogue clearly shows the security man to be less educated than the leaders, and yet he makes clear a glaring flaw in the manifesto. The worRAB used do not speak to the masses, and so how can they expect to overcome the tyranny if the army they need does not relate to it's would be saviors? The idea that Vonnegut presents is that for revolution to occur, it must be all-inclusive Katherine (who could provide women with a voice) is still playing the part of a secretary. The man questioning the speech could have been helpful, and yet he was dismissed in a similar way. Everyone in the"Brethren" has reverted to patterns of rank that they hold in "respectable" society, and this lack of unity makes the rebellion doomed from the beginning. Vonnegut is saying that everyone neeRAB to have a voice for any change in the pervasive attitudes of the time.
This is also a true analogy for a successful marriage. Paul and Anita have essentially looked at their union in terms of their respective roles. They do not relate as individuals, and only see what the other represents. By using such an extreme example, we can see how impossible the "ideal" relationship is.
Being married (as shown in both books) can be positive involving growth and personal respect, or simply the equivalent of a business contract. Heinleins perception of gender roles, are made clear in a quote attributed to him.

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan
an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a
building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall,
set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders,
cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new
problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty
meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly, Specialization
is for insects." (Heinlein)

The other issue that both books tackle in contrasting extremes is that of gender. Elihu displays emotions that were considered taboo at the time, and yet his character still persevered. Men in the 1950's were expected to repress their true emotions, because to show any would present a stigma of weakness. For societal changes to occur there must be examples. By the same token the negative aspects of what is seen as the "norm", must also be exposed.
Robert Heinlein has shown that a relationship of love and mutual respect is possible, if individuals show their true emotions. Sam is able to overcome emotional trauma and adverse conditions by expressing both sadness and fear. His wife Mary proves that a woman does not have to use sex as her only means of worth. The characters erabrace their sexual differences and realize that they both serve a necessary aspect of their individual personalities. The two of them disagree on many issues, and yet Elihu and Mary communicate and compromise. They both have individual tactics that they use in an argument, but they can at least admit when they are wrong. They have both gone into the relationship with their eyes wide open. Mary is not coerced into marriage as some say, rather she chooses to be with Sam. When they go to register at the court, it is Mary that wants a lifelong contract without strings attached.
Paul married Anita out of social obligation. He believed it was his duty, after Anita announced her false pregnancy. In the coming years he tried to convince himself it was out of love, but he was only fooling himself Paul enslaved himself into a loveless marriage, because he cannot escape from social patterns of behavior that are ingrained in his mind. Mary and Elihu meet on the job and form a mutual respect and frienRABhip that develops into love. They do not lose their respective individuality, rather glorify in each other's differences.
America in the cold war, was a culture that was inundated with messages of sexism and fear. Robert A. Heinlein, and Kurt Vonnegut jr. both created novels presenting different ideas of how the future could be. The Puppet masters presented a couple that could serve as an example of an honest respectful relationship. Vonnegut showed how the appearance of a marriage could be deceiving. The idea that the "so called" perfect union was a façade helped give people an idea about why honest communication is so important. Both authors served a necessary purpose. They knew that these ideas would be controversial, The use of science fiction as a venue made it much easier to spoon feed this knowledge to an ignorant public. Heinlein makes clear his vision of the coming rebellion against the establishment in closing lines of The Puppet Masters. "I feel exhilarated. Puppet masters--the free men are coming to kill you!" (P.M 340)


Works Cited

Heinlein Robert A. The Puppet Masters Ballantine Books, 1951

Vonnegut Jr. Kurt Player Piano Delta Books 1999

Heinlein Robert A. (Attributed quote) Mike Dworetsky [email protected] 2000