There ! Room For Two By Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 's tale “2BR02B” fortuitously details how the controlled ‘perfection’ of a futuristic American society spirals individuals into a frightful slaughter gambit. This is evidently delineated by Wehling’s desperation to shield his children and grandfather from the jaws of death, a result of the inhumane population control laws, compelling him to gun down Dr. Hitz, Leora Duncan, and even himself in the process. The extent of his anguish is apparent when he says to Duncan, “‘It’s only death’” before shooting her, and “‘There! Room for two’” (Vonnegut 7) after doing so. With every shot Wehling aims, he feels antithetical emotions of reassurance that his family will live, yet insecurity as he attempts to convince himself that his actions are justified: an exquisite, tacit juxtaposition that represents his dilemma.

The second way in which Vonnegut depicts this hegemonized society is by describing the distaste Duncan expresses after learning that Wehling has had triplets. This disclosure is sceptically received by her: “She was exclaiming over the legal implications of triplets”(5). Duncan’s use of cold, business-like diction to describe the triplets’ birth, which is an auspicious occurrence, is proof that she sees them as liabilities. Additionally, she finds their births significantly homologous with her job of assisted murder as a representative of the Federal Bureau of Termination, the story’s domineering social force. Thus, Vonnegut conveys the diabolical influence the Bureau has on the population, as it denies newborns empathy, and adults the opportunities to nurture. Concluding the tale is Vonnegut’s masterful coalescence of emotions in his description of the painter’s inner conflict, which leads the latter to voluntarily schedule an appointment for assisted