Deer in the Works is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...

. It first appeared in Esquire

Esquire (magazine)

Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...

in April 1955, and was anthologized in Welcome to the Monkey House

Welcome to the Monkey House

Welcome to the Monkey House is an assortment of short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut, first published in August 1968. The stories range from war-time epics to futuristic thrillers, given with satire and Vonnegut's unique edge...

.

After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Vonnegut worked as a writer at the General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

 plant in Schenectady, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. Ilium frequently appears in his writings, and is supposed to be the hometown of his character, Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout is a fictional character created by author Kurt Vonnegut. He was originally created as a fictionalized version of author Theodore Sturgeon , although Trout's consistent presence in Vonnegut's works has also led critics to view him as the author's own alter ego...

.

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

Ilium

-Places:* Ilion or, Latinized, Ilium, another name for the legendary city of Troy, hence the title of Homer's Iliad*Ilium , an ancient city in Epirus...

 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

Dehumanization

Dehumanization is to make somebody less human by taking away his or her individuality, the creative and interesting aspects of his or her personality, or his or her compassion and sensitivity towards others. Dehumanization may be directed by an organization or may be the composite of individual...

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.