The short story "Billenium" describes a dystopian future where overpopulation has led to a severe lack of living space. People are forced to live in extremely small cubicles, with no privacy or freedom to decide where to live. The main characters, Ward and Rossiter, discover a secret room that gives them more space and privacy. They invite friends to share the room. However, as more people move in, the space becomes cramped and the last symbol of beauty, Ward's antique wardrobe, must be destroyed. The story uses this setting to illustrate themes of overpopulation, loss of privacy and freedom, and the destruction of beauty that may result if populations continue to grow unchecked.
4. JOHN WARD
• Lives under staircase
• Hated landlords
• Friend of Rossiter
Bigger than cubicles
Moves with him to new cubicle
Ward gets angry and hits the wall
They discover the secret room
They move there with friends
Turns into Landlord
5. HENRY ROSSITER
• Ward’s friend
• Friend of
• Moves with Ward to new cubicle
• Finds secret room
• Builds separations for them to
have more privacy
• Turns into landlord
Judith
Helen
6. TITLE
• Story describes
• “Billenium”
Situation in future
Population grew
too much
People can’t
have normal life
Space they have is
controlled by city council
Makes reference to
Time in future where overpopulation will be
the biggest problem to human race
7. TONE
• Pessimistic
characters Don’t have hope for the future
Know their situation is not going to
change
Mantain passive role along story
(Don’t do anything to change situation)
QUOTE:”The street was
always full, an endless
clamour of voices and
shufflig feet”
9. OVERPOPULATION/LACK OF
RESPONSIBILITY
• Overpopulation
• Lack of responsibility
Pedestrian-jams
People have to live in
cubicles
Government
People
QUOTE: “Over a
hundred people
lived in the top
three floors ”
Didn’t controll birthrates
Divided space even more
Had more children to
have a double cubicle
Story has
message about
what happens
when people
aren’t
controlled, in
which case, as
a result there is
overpopulation
10. POWER AND LOSS OF PRIVACY
• Landlords had power
• No privacy
• Ward finds secret room
People lived in small
cubicles
More power for him
Becomes landlord
More privacy
No privacy when girls
and relatives move in
QUOTE: “The small rental
he charged the others
paid for the liittle food he
needed ”
11. DESTRUCTION OF BEAUTY
• Story shows how beauty is lost
because of overpopulation
• Wardrobe: beauty
Cathedrals/townhalls
are destroyed for
people to live there
Victorian times
Past Ward
doesn’t know
about
Girls move in Wardrobe is destroyed,
and with it all the
freedom, privacy and
space
QUOTE: “It was a
beautiful wardrobe,
without doubt, but
when it was gone it
would make the room
seem even larger”
13. CUBICLE
• Lack of
• Bad conditions
in which people
lived
Space
Freedom
Privacy
Power They couldn’t decide where to live
(In very small cubicles)
QUOTE: “The tramp of feet
sounded up and down the stairs
outside Ward´s cubicle”
Symbolises…
14. WARDROBE
• Space/freedom
of new room
• Beauty
• Whole world for
them
When wardrobe is gone
it symbolises the loss of
Freedom
Space
Privacy
Big enough to put furniture in
A past Ward doesn’t know about
They could decide what to put inside it
Victorian times
Symbolises…
