Welcome to the Monkey House

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes." —THOREAU

"When machines start delivering themselves," I said, "I guess that’s when the people better start really worrying."

All the pills did was take every bit of pleasure out of sex. Thus did science and morals go hand in hand.

"Welcome to the Monkey House" is chillingly relevent to events right now. Especially the controversy over women's reproductive rights and the idea that sex should only be an act performed to create life and not for the pure pleasure of the moment.

Practically everything was the Government. Practically everything was automated, too. Nancy and Mary and the sheriff were lucky to have jobs. Most people didn’t. The average citizen moped around home and watched television, which was the Government. Every fifteen minutes his television would urge him to vote intelligently or consume intelligently, or worship in the church of his choice, or love his fellowmen, or obey the laws—or pay a call to the nearest Ethical Suicide Parlor and find out how friendly and understanding a Hostess could be.

Catharine watched him grow smaller in the long perspective of shadows and trees, knew that if he stopped and turned now, if he called to her, she would run to him. She would have no choice. Newt did stop. He did turn. He did call. "Catharine," he called. She ran to him, put her arms around him, could not speak.

I enjoyed the short story"A Walk to Forever."Athough I am still not sure whether professing your love to someone a month before their wedding is romantic or madness....maybe both. I still thought the story was tender and sweet.