Who Is Paul Proteus?

Dr Paul Proteus lives in the city of Ilium, N.Y. The city is divided into three major parts: The northwest is occupied by the managers and engineers, in the northeast there is a large industrial plant, quite a large city itself, and in the south, across the river, there is the town for ordinary people, who are the rough majority. He is employed in the Illium Industrial Plant as a general manager. His only work is to rule the factory so that its productivity still increases and so that there are no saboteurs. All the other is controlled by computers. He is a married, thirty five years old, tall and thin man of darkish skin. His father was a celebrated founder of the local industrial plant and its first general manager. All Paul's career

is before him, waiting for him. He is an aspirant for a better job - he might grow up in the hierarchy of the American industry - be offered the seat of general manager of the state industrial division. His wife Anite relies on him and she still keeps telling him to be a correct son of his father. She trains him in the hierarchy rules and opportunitism. He feels he should follow his father's tracks but he is not very fond of being a general manager. He doesn not knot of any better job and in fact he even would not want to get any. He tries to be as best a s possible although he finds no interest in his job. His kind and fatherly superior Kroner relies on him because he used to be an old friend of Paul's father in the days of his life. Kroner sees the old Mr Proteus in Paul and treats him so. He trusts in Paul's powers and abilities and he would like to see him in the highest possible post.

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