Vox Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Jean crawls into bed and pretends she’s reading Shakespeare or Dante’s Inferno. She remembers watching international new reports on the United States. That was before the government took control of all TV and made women wear counters. Every country’s news mocked the U.S. Watching an Italian skit about the U.S., Jean, who’s Italian, wondered what the Italians really think about Americans right now. She hasn’t been back to Italy since before Sonia was born, and she can’t go back now. A few months before the counters, Jean tried to renew her family’s passports and get one for Sonia. At a passport application center, the clerk invalidated Jean’s and refused to issue one for Sonia. Some people still managed to escape before the government set up border checkpoints. With a chatty toddler, Jean knows her family never could’ve gotten out. Now, she just remembers parties, game nights, newspapers, and coffee dates.

Here, Jean reveals that in addition to limiting women’s means of communication, the U.S. has become a laughingstock on the world stage and no longer has positive relationships with any countries. Everyone is becoming isolated, and by destroying social bonds, the government is able to better control its populace. By barring people from leaving, the government also exerts its control over men—note that it’s stopping entire families from leaving, not just women. This reminds readers that men, like women, aren’t a monolith, and plenty wanted to try to save the women and girls in their lives from the counters and the ensuing oppression.

Active Themes

Vox: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis