Kurt Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House

Not only does Kurt Vonnegut's collection of short stories, Welcome to the Monkey House, contain the best short science-fiction I have ever read, it is actually the best overall short-story collection I have read, period. As a general fan of the author, and one who will freely stipulate to the notion he has laid more than one egg on the journey from Point A to Point B, I rate this collection as the second-best work he ever put out, behind only his 1979 novel, Jailbird.

Before I go any further, please bear two things in mind. First, I am not a huge fan of science fiction. I do not spurn it out of hand, but I do tend to view it with a critical eye. I like some (but not all) of Michael Crichton's stuff, some (but, again, not all) of Vonnegut's, and a few others, at their best, I tolerate.

Second, Welcome to the Monkey House is not entirely a collection of science fiction. To be sure, a good many of the stories in the collection do fall into that category, among them: "EPICAC," "The Euphio Question" and "Report on the Barnhouse Effect," all of them excellent stories.

Still, the book did not come about as a result of the author sitting down to grind out a specific collection. Rather it was the accumulation of a number of fictional pieces he had written for several different magazines, over the course of a decade and a half. Not all of those publications were necessarily looking for sci-fi.

A number of the stories are romances, but they are excellent romances. These include "Miss Temptation," "Long Walk to Forever" and, perhaps my personal favorite, because it hit so close to home, "Who Am I This Time?"

That last story deals with a miserably withdrawn young man and a misfit young woman in a small town, who are painfully unable to interact with people in general and, certainly with each other. Almost, by chance, they become involved in the local community theater and discover they have the gift to totally submerge their personalities brilliantly into whatever leading man and leading lady the company needs for any show, hence the title. As an incurable ham myself (Which would make me, what, a pork?), I was delighted to read this story. Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon played in an excellent film adaptation of this story.

Another sort of romance is similar in that the muse is the object of the protagonist's attention, even more than the lady. That story is "The Foster Portfolio." The title character is a fellow named Herbert Foster, who must-so it seems-supplement his meager weekly income by playing jazz piano in some honky-tonk downtown, much to his apparent chagrin and that of his strait-laced wife, whom he does love and wants to stay with for life. The story's narrator quickly learns that Foster does not need to demean himself in such a manner, but, that he won't let himself out from under what he characterized as the cross he has to bear. Read the story, it provides a remarkable bit of insight into human nature.

Another very moving story is the one called "D.P." It deals with a black American soldier in the occupying army of post-World War II Germany. Among the D.P. (displaced person) population are a number of children, and, among them, oddly enough, is an orphaned black child. The Germans all call him "Joe Louis," because that is the only black American person they know by name. Of course you know, that black soldier is not going to let "Joe Louis" stay alone at the orphanage.

Getting back to the area of science fiction, I want to highlight the most significant story in the book: "Harrison Bergeron." As I said, my personal favorite was "Who Am I This Time," but there is no doubt that this, the second story in the collection, is the real blockbuster.

Although the story does involve some technology that would not have been available to Vonnegut when he wrote it (1961, for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction), it is more about political science fiction than the technological side of the issue.

We have plenty stories of repressive right-wing dictatorships. This is one about liberalism, and its ugliest step-child, political correctitude, gone horribly wrong.

The society Harrison Bergeron lives in has determined that no one should be allowed to be better than anyone else, so as to avoid the inevitable oppressive feelings of inferiority that could otherwise result. Because of that decision, a new and extremely powerful office has arisen: that of The Handicapper General, whose job it is to ensure equality of ability at all costs. The present incumbent in that office is one Diana Moon Gompers.

Bergeron's father had been a very smart fellow before the institution of equality in all things, so, to make that happen in his case, his brain has been implanted with a loud, piercing siren that goes off in his head, every few minutes, to interrupt his train of thought.

His son, Harrison, had been given the gift of grace, so, naturally, wanted to be a dancer. There is nothing wrong with being a dancer in the eyes of Diana Moon Gompers and her ilk, as long as you wear heavy, clunky weights attached to your limbs, so as to prevent your looking better than the clumsiest boob in the nation.

Finally and suddenly, Harrison Bergeron makes the decision to defy the will of The Handicapper General. You will need to bestir yourself to read the story in order to find out how that battle turns out.

In fact, you would do well to bestir yourself to read the entire book. Cast aside that DVD, rip yourself away from your phiz-book page, squash that blackberry and hie yourself off to your local library. You will thank me for it after you have treated yourself to this excellent collection.

Sources

Welcome to the Monkey House, Kurt Vonnegut

Wikipedia

Google Books