2BRO2B

2BR02B "to be or naught to be"  By: Kurt Vonnegut

Summary: ﻿"2BR02B" is a short science fictional story by Kurt Vonnegut. "2BR02B" is set in a Utopian community where there are no prisons, slums, insane asylums, cripples, poverty, wars, and diseases. Everything is perfect and that's how people adapted to living. People in the United States lived up to one hundred and twenty- nine and not many people were born on the same day. However this day happened to be the birth Edward K. Wehling Jr.'s triplets. The only way all of his children would be able to live is if they could find three people to volunteer to die, making room for the babies. The painter of the mural across the waiting room in the hospital seems to be the only person opposing this way of life. As the old painter argues with an orderly (worker) from the Federal Bureau of Termination, the orderly hands him a number to call when he thinks his "time" is up 2BR02B- pronouncing the 0 as "naught". After the children are delivered by Dr. Hitz, the frustration of the father, Mr. Wehling, starts to show. He gets so upset by the fact that only one of his childern would live, and by doing so, his grandfather volunteers to die. The father takes out a revolver and shoots Dr. Hitz, the orderly, and then himself, making room in the population for all three of his childern. The painter, witnessing this scene, takes the telephone number and calls to make an appointment for his termination.

Setting: ﻿Chicago Lying-in Hospital (Future tense).

Protagonist: ﻿Edward K. Wehling, Jr., age fifty-six.

Antagonist: Dr. Hitz and the Federal Bureau of Termination.

Forms of Technology: There weren't actual forms of technology presented in the story, but you can infer that technology in medicine has greatly evolved, because people are living until one hundred and twenty-nine years old.

Main Conflicts: Mr. Wehling's wife is about to give birth to triplets, but none of the babies can live unless they are able to find three volunteers to die so there is a constant number of people in the world at all times.

Themes: Through this story, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. shows us that the world needs new birth more than long life or it would stay in dead peace.



Links: <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">[] This link provides you with a basic background on Kurt Vonnegut. <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> [] <span style="color: #767676; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 15px;">This link takes you to a website showing the technological advances for the future. [] This link provides you with the technological and scientific aspect of Utopias.

Discussion Questions: Why did Kurt Vonnegut Jr. use 2BR02B as the telephone number? Is it ever possible for the world to be perfect? What would you have done if you were in Mr. Wehling's situation?

<span style="color: #f692f6; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">By: Olivia Anakwe <span style="color: #f692f6; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Brighid Shea <span style="color: #f692f6; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Katie Quinn