Kurt Vonnegut liked to write about imaginary worlds. Some time ago we featured Harrison Bergeron, another Vonnegut story. This was about a dystopian world; a world where most people are unhappy and afraid because they are not treated fairly. In 2BR02B, Earth at first appears perfect. There are no poor, no slums, no prisons, no wars. There is no insanity, disability or disease. Even aging has been cured. Everything is wonderful… unless you want to bring a child into the world. As the story develops, we soon see that this utopian sounding future masks yet another dystopian society.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (2,521 words)
General Comments
Sometimes writers leave unexplained aspects in a story that don’t quite make sense. For me, one such aspect in 2BR02B relates to Edward Wehling’s triplets. In a society so advanced that there is no insanity, disability or disease and even aging has been cured, why couldn’t medical science control pregnancies to ensure that the number of children being born matches the parents’ available FBT volunteers. Another question relates to Edward’s revolver. What would be the need for a gun in the world described in the story, and why did Edward take it to the hospital? Was it to kill himself and thus save his wife’s grandfather from the “Happy Hooligan”, or to kill himself and along with the grandfather make room in the world for two of the babies? In any event, in killing Dr. Hitz, Leora Duncan and himself, Edward disproves two of main tenets of the story. There is still crime and insanity in the world, albeit brought about by the “perfect” world itself.
Video Version
This 2016 short film is a very good interpretation of the story for what is obviously a low-budget production. Watch and enjoy!