Narrator and point of view

The short story “2BR02B” by Kurt Vonnegut is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator who is mostly limited to the perspective of the painter. The narrator offers access to the thoughts of the painter, but not to those of other characters. For example, we are told that the painter does not like the mural he is painting (p. 227, l. 10), before he outwardly expresses his dislike. 

However, the narrator seems to have more knowledge of the events but withholds some information from the readers. We also know that Wehling’s wife is expecting triplets, but his moral dilemma is not revealed until later in the story.

The tone of the narrative is ironic, a tone which the painter shares as well. For example, the narrator starts the story with the statement "Everything was perfectly swell" (p. 226, l. 1). Since the story proves that the opposite is true, this opening statement turns out to be ironic, as the narrator shows that the apparently perfect society is based on individual tragedy.

The narration is mostly explicit, describing the ...