Billennium by Shirley Jackson

Billennium by Shirley Jackson

The setting is unique: because of the overpopulation on the earth, people have to live in a confined room or a cubicle. In the end of the story, as many as seven people, that is, two young men, two young women, and three aged people share a 15 feet square room with each person “living” in a two feet wide space.

The first half of the story is interesting; it describes how conjested the town and the streets are: you need a lot of time and energy to reach the restaurant just opposite the street because you have to elbow your way to your destination. It was a vivid description. The rent of the cubicle is getting higher and higher and some people re-rent their tiny space which has been produced by divding the original cubicle.

The latter half is not interesting. First, Ward and Rossiter discover a room adjacent to their room, but after moving there, they invite their girl friends and they invite their aged relative and parents making the room so narrow. Since you can guess the ending, the story is not exciting.

At the end of the story, Ward dismantles the wardrobe to make space. The wardrobe does not take a significant part throughout the story, but it appears at the final part. It is irrelevant. The writer should describe about the furniture much more in early pages. So, ehe ending does not summarize the whole story. It does not conclude anything, nor predict the near future.

Every episode is boring. The story does not give any climax or dissolution. The writer may have enjoyed writing this “unique” story, but it does not convey any impressive feelings. I can see how the writer forced himself to describe how narrow the space each person has.