Metropolis · Chapter
The New Tower of Babel explained
The chapter opens with a depiction of the dehumanized workers marching in unison into the machine center of Metropolis.
What happens
The chapter opens with a depiction of the dehumanized workers marching in unison into the machine center of Metropolis. Freder, the son of the Master of Metropolis, observes the city from his high workshop, reflecting on the contrast between the cathedral and the industrial landscape. He is haunted by a vision from the 'Club of the Sons' and feels trapped by his father's surveillance. He seeks his father, Joh Fredersen, but is conflicted about his own desires and the oppressive system.
Themes in this chapter
Class Division and Exploitation
The workers are depicted as a uniform, dehumanized mass, marching into the machine center, while Freder, the son of the Master, lives in luxury and observes from above.
Dehumanization by Technology
The workers are described as having 'the same faces' and being 'one thousand years old,' reduced to 'food' for the machine. The city's relentless rhythm erases individuality.
Religious and Mythological Symbolism
The cathedral, the Virgin, and the bell of Saint Michael contrast with the industrial city. The Gothics' vow to destroy Metropolis if the cathedral is touched invokes religious martyrdom.
Characters to notice
- Freder
Freder observes the workers and the city from his workshop, reflecting on his father's power and his own longing for freedom. He is haunted by a vision and feels trapped by Slim's surveillance.
- Joh Fredersen
Referred to as the Master of Metropolis, he controls the machine center and the workers' schedule. Freder seeks him out, but he remains an off-screen presence.
- Slim
Freder's silent keeper and his father's agent, Slim watches Freder's every move and is capable of finding anyone Freder might seek.
- Desertus
Leader of the Gothics, who swore to destroy Metropolis if the cathedral is touched. Mentioned as a threat to the Master's plans.
- The Virgin
The star-crowned Virgin on the cathedral tower, symbolizing a maternal, gentle presence that Freder longs to see, contrasting with the harsh city.
Key passages
“The stream was twelve files deep. They walked in even step. Men, men, men—all in the same uniform, from throat to ankle in dark blue linen, bare feet in the same hard shoes, hair tightly pressed down by the same black caps. And they all had the same faces. And they all seemed one thousand years old.”
A long line of workers, twelve abreast, marched in unison, all dressed identically in dark blue uniforms and caps, their faces indistinguishable and aged beyond their years.
This passage emphasizes the dehumanization and uniformity of the working class in Metropolis.
“The Master of Metropolis had already considered, more than once, having the cathedral pulled down, as being pointless and an obstruction to the traffic in the town of fifty million inhabitants.”
Joh Fredersen had thought about demolishing the cathedral because it served no purpose and blocked traffic in the city of fifty million people.
This reveals the tension between industrial progress and historical/religious structures.
“He knew that behind the throbbing second flashes on the New Tower of Babel there was a wide, bare room with narrow windows, the height of the walls, switchboards on all sides, right in the centre, the table, the most ingenious instrument which the Master of Metropolis had created, on which to play, alone, as solitary master.”
Freder imagined the control room behind the clock, where his father sat alone at a master console, orchestrating the city's operations.
This highlights Joh Fredersen's solitary power and the centralization of control in Metropolis.