Deer in the Works

Deer in the Works is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut. It first appeared in Esquire in April 1955, and was anthologized in Welcome to the Monkey House.

After World War II Vonnegut worked as a writer at the General Electric plant in Schenectady, New York. Ilium frequently appears in his writings, and is supposed to be the hometown of his character, Kilgore Trout.

Plot

David Potter, owner of a small town weekly newspaper, decides to get a more secure job. Despite his wife's misgivings, he applies to be a publicity writer at the mammoth Ilium Works. Although shaken at seeing how the company immediately plans out his entire career, he accepts the position. He is then given his first assignment, recording the capture of a deer that has slipped onto the grounds of the Works. After he and a photographer finish their jobs the deer will be killed and served at a company dinner.

Getting hopelessly lost, Potter views the utter dehumanization of the workers. Mistaken for a visiting scientist, he joins a party and has several drinks before finding a skirmish line of employees closing in on the deer. He opens a gate, lets it escape, and then follows it out into the world.