2BR02B Response
This is a response to the short story "2BR02B." In class we were given a choice between reading this dystopian short story or watching clips from "The Matrix."
One characteristic of a dystopian story is that the protagonist is unhappy with the way things are or they realize that their world is not a utopia and wish to change that fact. The short story “2BR02B” definitely has that characteristic.
The protagonist, Mr. Wehling is waiting in the hospital waiting room for his wife to give birth to triplets. All disease is cured, there is no way she can die through childbirth; there are no complications with birth anymore. A happy occasion right? Not quite. Along with every other ailment that has been cured, age has been cured. Humans can now live an indefinitely long life. So if people continue to have children and no one ever dies, you have a major population problem.
However, a Dr. Hitz has solved this problem. He created gas chambers (sound familiar? Think 1940’s) for people willing to die so they can die painlessly and imposed a rule that for every person born another person must volunteer to die for them. An excellent plan for population control, but what happens when no one is willing to die for a child. The answer is simple, kill the child. So Mr. Wehling has a big problem. Three people are not willing to die to make room for his children and he is not willing to kill any of his children.
Mr. Wehling fits the dystopian hero mold quite well in this case. He sees that the system in place is corrupt. But unlike other characters in the story, he wants desperately to change the system. And, unlike your usual hero, he is willing to go to any means to achieve this change. So what does he do in the end? He shoots Dr. Hitz, the reason for his problem, he shoots the woman running the gas chambers, and, to make room for his third child, he shoots himself.
Another characteristic of a dystopian story that “2BR02B” exhibits is control over the populace. Through media propaganda Dr. Hitz has convinced everyone that the gas chambers are the greatest things to ever grace the earth. The people practically worship him. Take for example the orderly (woman who runs the gas chambers) who is being painted in the mural. When she finds out she is going to be next to Dr. Hitz she nearly faints. When Dr. Hitz comes into the room she treats him like a king or god-on-earth.
There are many elements which make this short story a dystopian work. However, I think that the fact that it is told through the painter's point of view has a big impact on how the story is perceived. Think of what this story would be like if it was told through Dr. Hitz. It would be a tragedy; a destruction of a utopia. Through this short story I learned that point of view is especially important in dystopian fiction.
The protagonist, Mr. Wehling is waiting in the hospital waiting room for his wife to give birth to triplets. All disease is cured, there is no way she can die through childbirth; there are no complications with birth anymore. A happy occasion right? Not quite. Along with every other ailment that has been cured, age has been cured. Humans can now live an indefinitely long life. So if people continue to have children and no one ever dies, you have a major population problem.
However, a Dr. Hitz has solved this problem. He created gas chambers (sound familiar? Think 1940’s) for people willing to die so they can die painlessly and imposed a rule that for every person born another person must volunteer to die for them. An excellent plan for population control, but what happens when no one is willing to die for a child. The answer is simple, kill the child. So Mr. Wehling has a big problem. Three people are not willing to die to make room for his children and he is not willing to kill any of his children.
Mr. Wehling fits the dystopian hero mold quite well in this case. He sees that the system in place is corrupt. But unlike other characters in the story, he wants desperately to change the system. And, unlike your usual hero, he is willing to go to any means to achieve this change. So what does he do in the end? He shoots Dr. Hitz, the reason for his problem, he shoots the woman running the gas chambers, and, to make room for his third child, he shoots himself.
Another characteristic of a dystopian story that “2BR02B” exhibits is control over the populace. Through media propaganda Dr. Hitz has convinced everyone that the gas chambers are the greatest things to ever grace the earth. The people practically worship him. Take for example the orderly (woman who runs the gas chambers) who is being painted in the mural. When she finds out she is going to be next to Dr. Hitz she nearly faints. When Dr. Hitz comes into the room she treats him like a king or god-on-earth.
There are many elements which make this short story a dystopian work. However, I think that the fact that it is told through the painter's point of view has a big impact on how the story is perceived. Think of what this story would be like if it was told through Dr. Hitz. It would be a tragedy; a destruction of a utopia. Through this short story I learned that point of view is especially important in dystopian fiction.