Previous
Secrecy and Deception
Find the Perfect Quote
LitCharts makes it easy to find quotes by
character
and theme. We assign a color and icon like this one
to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below.
Need another quote?
Need analysis on another quote?
Need analysis for a quote we don't cover?
Need analysis for a quote we don't cover?
Need analysis for a quote we don't cover?
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
Request it
Request it
Request analysis
Request analysis
Request analysis
“Marionettes, Inc.” Quotes
“What did you do, put sleeping powder in your wife’s coffee?”
“No, that would be unethical.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
While walking home from their unsatisfyingly short night out together, Smith asks his friend Braling how he managed to get out of the house in the first place, insinuating that Mrs. Braling would never agree to Braling’s plans to get a drink with his friend. According to Smith, the only way Braling could have possibly escaped from his wife’s clutches that night was if he drugged her. Although Smith appears to be making a joke, his hyperbolic comment says a lot about Mrs. Braling, as it depicts her as a controlling, bossy wife. Braling thinks using sleeping powder is “unethical,” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Veli
“[I’m] married to a woman who overdoes it. I mean, after all, when you’ve been married ten years, you don’t expect a woman to sit on your lap for two hours every evening, call you at work twelve times a day and talk baby talk. And it seems to me that in the last month she’s gotten worse. I wonder if perhaps she isn’t a little simple-minded?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
As Smith and Braling walk home from their night out, they talk about their respective marriages, which are both unhappy ones. While Braling’s problem is that his wife (so he claims) is hateful and controlling, Smith’s problem is that his wife is overly loving and attached at his hip. Smith depicts Nettie as being childlike, obsessive, and “simple-minded.” Smith is clearly uncomfortable with Nettie’s lavish displays of love, underscoring how important mutual affection is in a marriage. Furthermore, Smith’s assertion that “in the last month she’s gotten worse” is an important moment of foreshadowing—later, he comes to understand that this Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio
MARIONETTES, INC.
Duplicate self or friends; new humanoid plastic 1990 models, guaranteed against all physical wear. From $7,600 to our $15,000 deluxe model.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage discloses what’s on the Marionettes, Inc. business card, which Braling gives to Smith when he voices interest in purchasing a marionette for himself. The business card lists the towering financial cost of a marionette, consequently revealing that Braling spent somewhere between eight thousand and fifteen thousand dollars for the sake of avoiding his wife. This underscores just how desperate Braling is to have time away from Mrs. Braling (and to finally fulfil his dream of going to Rio). The detail about the marionettes being “guaranteed against all physical wear” seems like a bonus for customers, reassuring them that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possi
“It may be splitting hairs, but I think it highly ethical. After all, what my wife wants most of all is me. This marionette is me to the hairiest detail. I’ve been home all evening. I shall be home with her for the next month. In the meantime another gentleman will be in Rio after ten years of waiting.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Braling defends his plan to distract his wife with a marionette, telling Smith that it is actually “highly ethical.” Using the idiom “It may be splitting hairs,” Braling asserts that arguing the moral rightness of the marionette is inconsequential and unnecessary. Of course, the moral rightness of Braling’s plan seems to be exactly the issue at hand. Furthermore, Braling appears defensive about the plan, which suggests that he is aware that it is ethically problematic. In addition, in saying that Braling Two “is me to the hairiest detail,” Braling reaffirms that the marionette is so convincingly lifelike Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minu
“Thank you […] You don’t know what this means. Just a little respite. A night or so, once a month even. My wife loves me so much she can’t bear to have me gone an hour. I love her dearly, you know, but remember the old poem: ‘Love will fly if held too lightly, love will die if held too tightly.’ I just want her to relax her grip a little bit.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Braling has just given Smith the business card for Marionettes, Inc. so that Smith can purchase his own marionette and have “a little respite” from his wife, Nettie. Smith quotes an anonymous poem, which reads, “Love will fly if held too lightly, love will die if held too tightly.” This means that if someone is too indifferent toward their spouse, then their spouse may leave them. On the other end of the spectrum, if someone tries to control and cling to their spouse too much (like Nettie does), the relationship will suffocate. Through the poem, Smith points Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perfere
“Really, you make me feel like a criminal. You have been such a good, loving wife. Sometimes it is impossible for me to believe you married me instead of that Bud Chapman you once liked. It seems that in the last month you have loved me more wildly than ever before.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After his night out with Braling, Smith returns home and watches his wife sleeping peacefully. He tells the sleeping Nettie that she makes him “feel like a criminal” for wanting to escape her grasp. Once again, it doesn’t seem that Smith actually loves his wife. In this passage, he merely expresses guilt for not warmly receiving her indulgent displays of love, and he voices pride in that she chose him “instead of that Bud Chapman [she] once liked.” The mention of Bud Chapman is interesting because it is fairly jarring, as his name appears suddenly and is never brought up Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus e
And then, the horrid thought. And then the terror and the loneliness engulfed him. And then the fever and disillusionment. For, without desiring to do so, he bent forward and yet forward again until his fevered ear was resting firmly and irrevocably upon her round pink bosom. “Nettie!” he cried.
Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Smith frantically begs his wife to tell him what she’s done with ten thousand dollars of their money (which Smith refers to as his money). In this moment, it seems as if Smith realizes what ten thousand dollars can buy—a marionette. When he grasps this, Smith is “engulfed” by horrible feelings of “terror,” “loneliness,” “fever,” and “disillusionment.” For much of the story, Smith has been planning on deceiving Nettie with a marionette of his own, and never seemed to consider the dubious ethical nature of the plan or the emotional impact it would have on Nettie were Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum
“They didn’t tell me at the marionette shop that I’d get a difficult specimen.”
“There’s a lot they don’t know about us,” said Braling Two. “We’re pretty new. And we’re sensitive.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Braling voices confusion and discontent at Braling Two’s refusal to get back into the toolbox until Braling embarks for Rio. Braling refers to the marionette as a “difficult specimen,” frustrated that the marionette won’t simply do as he’s told. Braling Two’s ominous response marks a shift in the story’s tone, indicating that the events to follow will be dark and even tragic. In claiming, “We’re pretty new. And we’re sensitive,” Braling indicates that the human inventors at Marionettes, Inc. have little idea of what they’ve just created and unleashed out into the world. Further, Braling Two’s use Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. O
“Did my wife put you up to this?”
“No.”
“Did she guess? Did she talk to you? Does she know? Is that it?” […]
“You’ll never know, will you?” Braling Two smiled delicately. “You’ll never know.”
Braling struggled. “She must have guessed; she must have affected you!”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Braling Two has just told Braling that he is in love with Mrs. Braling and would like to go to Rio. In this passage, Braling accuses his wife of finding out about the marionette and “affect[ing]” Braling Two—that is, turning the marionette against Braling. In his certainty that his wife is to blame, Braling reveals that he truly believes his wife hates him, so much so that she would encourage an android to take over her husband’s life. Mrs. Braling has not yet physically appeared in the story (but will soon), so Braling’s depiction of her remains unconfirmed and seems Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Pos
Ten minutes later, Mrs. Braling awoke. She put her hand to her cheek. Someone had just kissed it. She shivered and looked up. “Why—you haven’t done that in years,” she murmured.
“We’ll see what we can do about that,” someone said.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage, which immediately follows the ominous conversation between Braling and Braling Two in the cellar, depicts “someone” rejoining Mrs. Braling in the bedroom. This passage is ambiguous, as it doesn’t reveal if that “someone” is the human Braling or the robotic Braling Two. Two possibilities exist, with one more likely than the other. Perhaps Braling somehow outsmarted Braling Two, managed to lock him up, and then committed himself to being a better husband to Mrs. Braling—as seen by the uncharacteristic kiss on her cheek. However, the story previously pointed out that the marionette has a “metal-firm grip” and is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi o
No matches.
