“2 B R 0 2 B”

is a short science fiction story written by Kurt Vonnegut. The story is set in a future society where overpopulation has become a major problem. To solve this problem, the government has instituted a policy where people can only have children if someone else dies. This policy is enforced by the Federal Bureau of Termination, a government agency whose job it is to ensure that the population stays at a constant level.

The main character of the story is a painter named Vincent. Vincent’s wife is about to have triplets, which means that someone has to die in order for them to be born. Vincent’s grandfather, who is 200 years old, tells him about a man named Wehling who knows how to circumvent the Bureau’s policy. Wehling has a phone number that he can call to get rid of the person who is supposed to die so that his children can be born.

Vincent decides to call Wehling and is put in touch with a gas chamber attendant named Dr. Benjamin Hitz. Hitz is sympathetic to Vincent’s plight and agrees to help him. Hitz takes Vincent to the gas chamber where the person who is supposed to die, a man named Tom, is waiting. Hitz gives Vincent a gun and tells him to kill Tom. Vincent is reluctant to do so, but Hitz tells him that it is the only way that his children can be born.

Vincent finally decides to go through with it and shoots Tom. Hitz then tells Vincent that he has to be the next person to die, as the Bureau has detected an imbalance in the population. Vincent is shocked and angry, as he was not told this when he agreed to kill Tom. Hitz tells Vincent that it is the law and that he has no choice. Vincent accepts his fate and prepares to enter the gas chamber.

Before Vincent dies, he meets a woman named Leora who is also about to be killed by the Bureau. Leora is there to have a baby, but the baby dies before it can be born. Leora is devastated and Vincent tries to comfort her. They both enter the gas chamber together and die.

The story ends with a quote from a poem by the British poet William Ernest Henley called “Invictus.” The quote is “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” This quote suggests that even in a society that seems to be controlled by external forces, people still have the power to control their own lives.

Overall, “2 B R 0 2 B” is a thought-provoking and disturbing story that raises important questions about the value of human life and the role of government in controlling population growth. The story suggests that the government’s policy of regulating birth and death is morally questionable and that people should have the right to control their own lives. The story is also a commentary on the dangers of overpopulation and the need to find sustainable solutions to this problem.