30 pages • 1 hour read
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.Welcome to the Monkey House
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1968A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut was born to German parents in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was raised there with two older siblings, Bernard and Alice. Bernard went on to become a scientist, and Alice was an artist and mother who died of cancer at 40. Vonnegut attended Cornell University intending to become a scientist but was expelled for academic failure and an article he published in Cornell’s newspaper, which contained his trademark satirical style that would one day garner him fame. After joining the army, just before he was deployed overseas in 1944, Vonnegut’s mother died by suicide, citing social discontent and the thought of losing her son in the war. Vonnegut and his wife had three children together, one of whom he named after his mother, and they also adopted his sister’s children after she died.
Vonnegut is perhaps best known for Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), a novel about the cruelty of war and the subsequent psychological trauma many endure, personified in his character of Billy Pilgrim. His use of humor and science fiction genres to comment on social and political issues are trademarks of his style.
Social Context: Religion and Agency Mid-Century America
The Social Purity Movement began in the latter 1800s in England. As a result, America was driven by religious morality and a desire to end sex work and sexual promiscuity, which went against moral doctrine. This movement effectively banned birth control, safe and unsafe, which remained in place for female contraceptives until the 1950s. The first birth control pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1960. However, in 1968, when this story was published, medical birth control was not readily available in all states, and, in 26 states, use of birth control was illegal for women who weren’t married. Not until 1972 would contraceptives be available to all women in the United States.
In addition to their war on sexual promiscuity, the Social Purity Movement also instigated Temperance, also known as Prohibition, in the United States, which banned alcohol, and this might indicate why drugs and alcohol are also prohibited in “Welcome to the Monkey House.” Generally, attempts at social reform through religious morality aim to eliminate bodily pleasures, seeking the removal of temptation, rather than encouraging balance and moderation (ironically, the definition of temperance). At this time in history, post-World War II, many were also concerned about overpopulation and scarcity of resources. These fears and restrictions form the foundation of Vonnegut’s vision of a dystopian future, which also became popular in stories such as Soylent Green (1972).
Philosophical Context: Existentialism
The story’s focus on personal freedom and the freedom of choice correlates heavily the with philosophy of existentialism. Existentialism, fundamentally, is the idea that, in a complicated world, human beings can best function when given an array of choices. This allows each person to use their personal values, beliefs, and experiences to make choices that will allow them to have the greatest value and purpose in their lives. In existentialism, the crux to freedom of choice is that each person’s choices lead to consequences for which they must take responsibility. A person who lacks choice and purpose is more likely to degrade into depression and, in extreme circumstances, suicidal tendencies, which is referred to as an existential crisis.
In Vonnegut’s dystopian future, the choices for humans are limited. The only choices available are to stay at home and consume or to choose death by suicide. The “average citizen” is described as someone who “mope[s] around home and watch[es] television” (34). A few select others have a choice to work, which could further limit other choices, such as having a family or other relationships. The requirements for suicide hostesses are so specific that few people could fill these roles, and this occupation would not be open to men. Police officers, likewise, would be roles limited to men and only available for a certain number or kind of man. Therefore, with limited options such as the ones in “Welcome to the Monkey House,” the existentialist conclusion would be that humans cannot feel free or valued or fulfilled, and thus society is in a state of existential crisis. This crisis forms the basis for Billy the Poet’s activism.
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