30 pages • 1 hour read
Elmer RiceThe Adding Machine
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1929A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice, published in 1923, follows Mr. Zero, an accountant replaced by an adding machine after 25 years of monotonous work. Discontent, he murders his boss and is sentenced to death. In the afterlife, he navigates a realm resembling Earth, encounters familiar characters, and seeks purpose before being informed his soul will be recycled with no memory of his afterlife experiences. The story features themes of murder, execution, and suicide.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice is praised for its pioneering use of expressionism and its critique of mechanization and dehumanization in modern life. Some readers find its abstract style challenging and its themes bleak, but others appreciate its innovative structure and thought-provoking narrative. Overall, it offers a unique and impactful theatrical experience.
Who Should Read The Adding Machine?
Readers who appreciate The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice often revel in classic expressionist drama, exploring themes of modernity and dehumanization. Comparable to fans of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, they are drawn to thought-provoking narratives on societal alienation and existential angst.