When I was a kid, my parents used to make me watch silent films with them. I found it difficult at first to see past the outdated technology and poor acting skills of these films, but once I got into it, I realized how much more entertaining they were than modern movies. The same goes for Metropolis: A great story with dated technology but an amazing plot line that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end.
A book review of “Metropolis”, a dystopian science fiction book.
You’re reading this, so I’m going to assume that you have a basic understanding of the plot of Metropolis. If not, go check it out on Wikipedia or something.
In the futuristic city of Metropolis, the son of an inventor runs away from home and meets an underground group of workers who are trying to fight against their owner and his robotic workforce. The main character falls in love with a beautiful woman who works in one of these factories but is also part-robot herself!
The story is set in 2026, in a city called Metropolis.
It’s 2026, and the city of Metropolis is split into two parts: the wealthy upper class and the poor lower class. The story takes place in this city. It’s described as being a dark, gloomy place, but it also has many modern conveniences like cars and elevators. The upper class live on top of a tall building in luxury apartments that hang from the sky above their factories (which are located below). The lower class live on the ground level next to these machines; they’re constantly exposed to toxic fumes that make them sickly and slow down their work efficiency at the factories—but there aren’t many other jobs available for them otherwise!
There is a huge chasm between the rich and the poor, and the poor are forced to work hard in the underground factories.
The Metropolis of the title is a futuristic city that is divided into two distinct areas: the upper city and lower city. The upper city is where all of the rich, powerful people live, while the lower city houses all of the factories where workers labor to produce goods for these wealthy residents. There is a huge chasm between these two groups: They don’t interact with each other, and one side has no idea what happens on the other side.
The poor workers are forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions for little pay. On top of that, they’re constantly monitored by high-tech machines called calculators (that look like robots) which tell them when they should be working and when they should be resting so that productivity levels are maximized at all times. Meanwhile, those who rule over this dystopian world live in luxury and splendor with servants waiting on them hand-and-foot, never having to worry about whether or not their needs will be met!
A boy called Freder Fredersen is a foreman at his father’s company that owns this city.
The story begins with a boy called Freder Fredersen, son of Joh Fredersen. He is a foreman at his father’s company that owns this city.
The book then introduces us to two other important characters: Rotwang and Maria, both of whom live in Metropolis. Rotwang is an inventor who creates machines for the city; Maria is his lover and assistant at his laboratory.
When Fredersen’s father dies, he takes over the company.
Another notable theme in Metropolis is that of power. On the surface, this is a story about two men vying for control of a city—but it’s also about the dynamics between fathers and sons, and brothers. Fredersen takes over his father’s company when he dies and becomes a foreman at the factory. But Freder, who works as an engineer at another facility run by Fredersen’s company, has designs on taking over his own father’s business one day as well—and eventually winds up doing just that (though not without some help).
The industrialization that created all this wealth in the first place was made possible by coal miners who worked tirelessly underneath the surface of their towns until they became sickly and exhausted or died young from accidents caused by machinery malfunctioning underground; their bodies were returned to their families covered in soot so no one would recognize them anymore than if they’d been buried alive with dirt on top of them instead!
He goes out with some friends one day and crosses paths with Maria, who tells him about her friends down in the factory, working as slaves.
Thea von Harbou uses Freder as the main character in Metropolis, and he is a great vehicle for exploring the themes of this novel. He’s an engineer who works with his father on creating a machine that will make work easier for people. However, because his family is rich, he doesn’t actually know what it’s like to work himself. When he meets Maria and they fall in love, she tells him about her friends down in the factory, working as slaves under harsh conditions while being treated like animals by their overseers. She convinces him to go see for himself what life is like for these people.
He falls in love with her and decides to join her to get a better sense of what life is like for the workers.
Meanwhile, Freder becomes attracted to Maria after she saves him from drowning. He falls in love with her and decides to join her to get a better sense of what life is like for the workers. Freder wants to see if she is happy, or if she is just pretending so that he will help her overthrow Joh Fredersen (who also happens to be his father).
However, as soon as they are alone together in an abandoned room where they can talk freely (and kiss), Joh Fredersen finds them and takes away all hope of happiness between them forever.
The workers love Maria as their sole source of inspiration and hope for change.
The workers love Maria as their sole source of inspiration and hope for change. In this context, her presence is a ray of light in a world that is otherwise submerged in darkness. She inspires the workers to better themselves and revolt against the machines that oppress them. Even Freder, who is smitten with Maria, wanders aimlessly through his days until she arrives and reinvigorates him with a sense of purpose.
Thea von Harbou’s novel Metropolis depicts how technology can be used for both good and evil purposes; it also explores themes related to individualism versus collectivism, industrialization and urbanization (and its effects), class division and social structure within society at large (the relationship between those who work versus those who do not work), gender roles within various societal institutions such as marriage/parenthood/childbearing vs career-driven ambition etcetera…
Joh Fredersen learns about this and sends a man he knows named Rotwang (who has been cursed by an evil spirit) to build an android version of Maria that looks exactly like her.
Towards the end of the film, Joh Fredersen learns about this and sends a man he knows named Rotwang (who has been cursed by an evil spirit) to build an android version of Maria that looks exactly like her.
This is all explained in great detail in the book, but this movie does not go into as much detail about it and leaves out some details that were mentioned in the book.
They program it for mischief and send it down into the factory complex to incite a riot among the workers so that they will destroy all the machines.
Joh Fredersen, owner of Metropolis, is concerned that the workers are unhappy with their working conditions. He knows that they want to gain control of the machines and knows it will be a disaster if they do. He sends an android version of Maria down into the factory to incite a riot among them so that they destroy all the machines.
But when things get out of control, Freder rushes down there to save Maria from certain death by drowning.
But when things get out of control, Freder rushes down there to save Maria from certain death by drowning. He finds her unconscious and brings her back up to safety before she can be killed. The workers who love her are thankful for Freder’s intervention, but they do not know what to do now that their machines have stopped working.
In a world where humans are being replaced by machines, one must fight for their humanity at every turn.
You may be wondering why a book about the struggle between man and machine would be named Metropolis. The answer is simple: von Harbou’s book is set in a futuristic city where humans are being replaced by machines. And as you might expect, it doesn’t look good for our protagonists.
In this world, there are two types of people: those who work with machines and those who work against them. In fact, if you live in Metropolis and don’t work with one of these two groups, your life isn’t likely to last long—you’ll either be killed or enslaved by one group or the other!
Conclusion
The book ends with a sense of hope, but it’s also clear that there are still many struggles ahead for humanity. I found myself rooting for Freder throughout the story, and I think anyone who can identify with his passion for change will enjoy this book as much as I did!
