“2BRO2B” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is about a first-time father named Edward K. Wehling, Jr. that is about to have triplets and must decide which one of them will live. During this period, population control was practiced. Being that Wehling was having triplets, he had to chose a child to live while deciding which family member would die in order to bring in this new life. As he is waiting for the babies to be delivered, he watches a painter working on a mural. The mural was of a garden.
The main face in the mural is Dr. Hitz, the man that started it all. “Men and women in white, doctors and nurses, turned the soil, planted seedlings, sprayed bugs, spread fertilizer. Men and women in purple uniforms pulled up weeds, cut down plants that were old and sickly raked leav
...es, carried refuse to trash-burners” (Vonnegut 1). The artist painting the mural does not seem to like the idea of population control either. He feels like death should not come from “the Sheepdip” (Vonnegut 3).
As the artist is painting, he is waiting for his next model, Leora Duncan, a gas-chamber hostess. She is thrilled to be a part of the mural. As they are chatting about the mural, Dr. Hitz gets a phone call that the triplets are born. Wehling is not happy to hear the news. Dr. Hitz asks him why he isn’t thrilled about the news. He replies, “I want those kids, I want all three of them. I don’t want my grandfather to die, either” (Vonnegut 6).
In the end, Wehling pulls out a revolver and shoots Dr. Hitz, Leora Duncan, then himself, allowing for
all three of his children to live. After witnessing this, the painter picks up the pistol and ponders shooting himself. In the end he decides to make the call to the Federal Bureau of Termination and schedule his appointment for that afternoon. Vonnegut suggests that population control is not for everyone. People should have the right to give life without the fear of having to take a life in return.
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