This is a little more specific than just "work." Machines help people do their labor, but they can be deadly instruments. In the case of "Out, Out," we're talking about a saw. There's a lot of blending here between man and machine; machines take on men's work, and so become an extension of man. This is all Singularity-type stuff, people…
Questions About Technology and Modernization
- What is the role of machines in a rural setting?
- Are machines (other than the Terminator) necessarily deadly?
- Does the boy seem old enough to work with machines? How do you know?
- Is the saw conscious in the poem? Does it have a conscience?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The saw kills the boy in the same way that machines will replace our pre-technical innocence. Once we start using them, Frosty is telling us (and wagging his finger), there's no going back.
The saw is just a dumb tool. The real tragedy here is that the boy is viewed by his family as a machine to do labor. Sad, right?