2. Next Door Kurt Vonnegut
Setting:
Next door – neighbours – events happen close to us.
USA – house that accommodates two families.
Thin partition / wall between them.
Probably 1950s
Told mainly through young Paul’s point of view.

3. Characters
Paul – 8 years old
The Leonards - Mother / father
All-Night Sam – DJ
Mr Harger / Ms Harger
Charlotte

4. Summary – main points
Two families live next to each other – separated by thin wall. Mr and Mrs Leonard planning to go to movies. Paul to stay home alone –adventure. Disturbed by radio and shouting. All-Night Sam – reading messages. Paul decides to take action – a radio message of love. Twist – Mr Harger is with mistress.

5. Threat to kill – shots. Paul convinced that he is responsible for murder. Rushes outside and meets Charlotte busy fleeing. Bribes to keep his mouth shut. Policeman knocks. Mr Harger also appears. Mrs Harger arrives – forgive and re-united. Paul goes to bed – parents return and find scented bribe money in his pocket.

6. Plot development
Opening: parents going to see movie – not suitable for child.
Complication: tension – violent argument next door. Paul tries to stop the fight by message to radio announcer. All- Night Sam seems to make matters worse.
Climax: Fighting stops – not wife. Three shots. Convinced that he is responsible for murder.
Resolution: Supposed murderer tries to bribe Paul. Police arrive. Victim is alive. Wife had heard radio message and returned.
Ironically Paul does bring them back together.

7. Themes Differences between adult and children’s perceptions.
Parents protecting children from realities.
Effect of minor events on children.
Style – dialogue gives it American flavour.
Full of twists and ironies.
Over-protect him.
Attempt to make peace leads to shooting.
However, brings wife back.

8. Strong dramatic irony between what parents believe was a peaceful evening at home. What will Paul tell parents about contents in pocket? Loss of innocence?

9. Some Themes: Children’s and adults’ perceptions of the world;
Growing up
Some Themes: Children’s and adults’ perceptions of the world;
Marriage relationships and conflict;
childhood and innocence;
premature maturity;
parenthood;
child and parent relationships;

10. Need to know
Title: A reference to the setting of the short story – the assumptions being made of what drama is taking place in the Harger home next door and how it affects the neighbours.
Setting: The USA probably in the 1950s – In the Leonard’s family home – a thin wall dividing their home from the Harger’s home
Climax: Paul hears three gunshots – feels responsible for the “murder” that has taken place next door.

11. Characterization:
Mr Leonard – treats Paul like a grown-up – calls him “big boy”.
Mrs Leonard – over-protective – treated her son as a small child – called him a baby; a little boy – doesn’t want Paul to stay at home alone – writes down all the emergency telephone numbers – sings nursery rhymes to Paul.
Paul – 8 year old son; caring – had a “soft, sleepy, radiant sweetness” – mature for his age – forced into premature development – feels guilty; feels responsible for Mr Harger’s “death”.

12. Mr Lemuel Harger – having an affair
Charlotte – Mr Harger’s mistress – violent – wants to shoot Mr Harger for ‘twotiming’ her – bribes Paul with cash to remain silent – threatens Paul
Mrs Rose Harger – big; motherly; loving; forgiving
Sam – the record man – wise; concerned about humanity – stopped a suicide attempt – attempted to reconcile the Hargers.

13. Next door – Kurt vonnegut

14. Two families stayed in an old house divided into two by a thin wall
The Leonards
Husband & Wife
Eight year old son, Paul
The Hargers

15. The Leonards are trying to keep their voices down
The Leonards are trying to keep their voices down. They are discussing whether to leave Paul alone while they go to the movies.
The walls are thin so they are trying to keep their voices down

16. The parents leave the son at home alone for the first time
The mother thinks the boy should not be exposed to the type of movie they are going to watch
The father thinks their son can go with them; if the mother worries too much about their son’s safety, she may not enjoy the movie

17. Paul, their son, says he is going to look at things through his microscope while they are away.

18. Ten minutes before the show starts …
Paul’s father
Paul’s mother
Locks the doors and windows
Tells his wife paul knows how to dial
Writes down the telephone numbers of the police, fire department, theater and Dr. Failey

19. When he is alone, Paul hears the radio next door

20. Soon, he hears a man and a woman argue. The voices get louder
Soon, he hears a man and a woman argue. The voices get louder. The man tells the women to turn up the volume when she starts to shout

21. The radio announcer broadcasts messages for couples
The radio announcer broadcasts messages for couples. He is called All-night Sam, the record man.

22. Next door, the fighting intensified
Next door, the fighting intensified. Paul could hear crockery being smashed.

23. All-night Sam gives the radio station’s telephone number over the radio. Paul calls and gives a message on behalf of Mr Lemuel K Harger, saying he loves Mrs Harger and that they should make up.

24. All-night Sam promises to help Paul get the couple together
All Night-Sam broadcasts a message, saying marriage is not a bowl of cherries (not always pleasant).

25. The effect of the message is different from what Paul expected ….
The woman next door is angry
She says the man’s wife can have him back
She fires three shots

26. Paul ran out and bumped into the woman as she was leaving ……….
She wants to bribe Paul with candy, a bicycle and gives him money to keep quiet about the incident

27. Paul thought he and All-Night Sam helped kill a man. He jumped into bed. A policeman knocked at the door.

28. Paul denies any knowledge of shots being fired.
Mr Harger denies
having heard any shots.

29. The police interrupted …
The real Mrs Harger heard the message.
She came back to her husband.

30. PAUL’S PARENTS COME HOME HE IS IN BED WITH HIS CLOTHES ON.
His mother finds the notes in his pockets
HIS FATHER MAKES A REMARK ABOUT THE SMELL OF PERFUME
“TABU” = means something which is not allowed

31. In the Leonard family home
setting
In the 1950’s, WHICH WE GUESS FROM THE MUSIC AND THE PARENTS TALKING ABOUT ‘PICTURES’ AND THE DIALING SYSTEM OF OLDER PHONES
In the Leonard family home

32. irony Unsuitable for children would be:
Violence
Swearing
Sex
scary
Paul’s parents let him stay at home because they feared the movie would be unsuitable for children.

33. The irony lies in the fact that Paul was exposed to all these things while at home!
* Violence – shots were fired
* Swearing – the couple fought
* Sex – infidelity the man’s wife left him, his lover was at his home
* Frightening – the boy thought he caused someone’s death

34. Theme
Paul’s parents, especially his mother, treat him like a child while he has to cope with adult events.
His mother calls him ‘baby’
The fact that he is becoming part of the adult world is illustrated by the fact that the things in his pockets are not a boy’s playthings (the money, a woman’s tissue stained by lipstick).

35. Growing up for Paul means losing some of his innocence: he assumed that the man and woman next door were a married couple.