30 pages 1 hour read

Elmer Rice

The Adding Machine

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1929

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character Analysis

Zero

Physically described as “thin, sallow, undersized, and partially bald.” Zero is a follower who, as the play begins, enjoys his job as an accountant, which he has held for the past twenty-five years. Zero is low on the socio-economic ladder and lacks ambition, but he has friends, a wife, and–as the narrative opens–a job. He is most comfortable while doing repetitive tasks. Conservative in his actions and morals, he fantasizes about doing many shocking things: delighting in the suffering of others; obsessing over women’s bodies; and possessing a desire to hurt and watch others being killed. He is quick to judge others for their actions and reactions, but changes to his own lifestyle bring out a violent nature in him. Zero’s inner life is misogynistic, racially biased, and perverted. Even after he kills his boss and is put to death, Zero craves order; he can barely bring himself to take off his shoes and dance in the Elysian Fields in the afterlife.

Mrs. Zero

Mrs. Zero is Zero’s wife. She is described as “forty-five, sharp-featured, [with] gray streaks in her hair.” Ambitious to a fault, Mrs. Zero expresses her desire for upward mobility almost constantly to her husband.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 30 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,500+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools