The Adding Machine

The physical object of the adding machine appears as a construct in Scene 2 and is the reason for Zero’s departure from the office. Zero is let go after twenty-five years of service to this company in favor of cheap labor in the form of someone who only needs to know how to push a button. However, Zero appears as an “adding machine” in his own right in both office scenes. Much of his self-worth is placed in his ability to contribute to society, particularly through his job and its consistency. When stressed (i.e. Scene 4), Zero resorts to adding numbers as a coping mechanism.

Metaphorically, the adding machine is a symbol of the future and a fast-approaching time when workers like Zero will be unnecessary to the modern office. By being made redundant, Zero reminds the audience that their own jobs, careers, self-worth, and even their lives are tenuous. Further, in the play’s version of the afterlife, even souls can be recycled. Here, Zero’s decision to remain a willing cog in the corporate sphere—despite having been executed and given permission to rest in whatever way he might desire—proves one’s core processors (or, values) remain the same, even after death.