Business Card Symbol Analysis

The business card for Marionettes, Inc. that Braling gives to Smith symbolizes the two men’s impulse to solve complicated, delicate interpersonal problems with a technological quick fix. Both men are more willing to spend eight thousand dollars to sidestep their marital problems than they are to simply talk openly with their respective wives and get to the root of the issue. The business card itself is ominously worded, underscoring the danger and uncertainty in turning blindly to technology to solve one’s personal problems. The card reads, “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.” The other side of the card states, “Clients must have a mold made of their body and a color index check of their eyes, lips, hair, skin, etc. Clients must expect to wait for two months until their model is finished. […] Marionettes, Inc., is two years old and has a fine record of satisfied customers behind it. Our motto is ‘No Strings Attached.’ Address: 43 South Wesley Drive.” The demands placed on the customer are manifold—committing to complete secrecy, agreeing to commit a felony by owning a marionette, and allowing an illegal company to have full access to every single intimate detail about oneself. When reading all of these requirements, Smith simply says to himself that two months is “Not so long” to wait. Paradoxically, the motto of Marionettes, Inc. is “No Strings Attached,” but by design, marionettes are puppets that are controlled from above via several strings. This inconsistency suggests that there are, in fact, many “strings attached” (complications and requirements) when it comes to solving one’s problems with a marionette.