Farewell Slaughterhouse Five

Farewell Slaughterhouse Five

Slaughter house-Five is probably one of the most striking, memorable and different book I’ve ever read. It’s the type of piece that will always stand out and which I can refer too in the future for memories of WWII. What impacted me the most was the way in which its content can be analyzed and studied. The relationship between characters and connections were astonishing. Staring off by he question of whether Billy is Vonnegut, if he is just a character, or if he´s a character that reflects Vonnegut’s story. They both share some similarities like going through the war as an American soldier, but their personalities are rather different.  Another connection is Kilgore Trout and Vonnegut. While being writers who explore time warps, extrasensory perception, and unexpected things, they share varied pasts and general lives. However the most remarkable connection is Billy Pilgrim with Jesus Christ. Seriously, who would have ever imagined? Both Jesus and Billy where really naïve and nobodies, for some reason lots of people found them annoying. Thus, they managed to go through extremely tough times and survive by miracles.

Vonnegut also exposes very interesting and innovative theories in a creative way. The Tralfamadorian belief of coming “unstuck in time” is illogical as logical.  Although it is physically impossible, to me it makes perfect sense and is somehow appealing.  Time traveling throughout your life would be very reasonable and positive. Destiny would strictly follow its path and you could visit any moment of your life.  However it may realistically be boring; knowing what’s next and not being able to do anything about it. Billy uses this concept as an excuse for his continuous thoughts and memories on his traumatic war experience. It is indeed very interesting how Billy creates the Tralfamadorian world to get over his trauma by mixing Trout’s ideas and his own. All of this simply reflects Billy’s war trauma and how it really affects him. In my opinion, Billy is someone who wasn’t meant to be at war. As a matter of fact, no body really is meant to be but Billy’s case is particular. He was sent with no purpose rather than putting his life at risk. 

The ending of chapter 1 is the exact beginning of a story and the exact end.

“It begins like this:
              Listen:
            Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time.
It ends like this:
             Poo-tee-weet? “ (pg. 22)

This makes the story and the way it’s narrated all the more interesting. It displays a circular pattern, which makes it more tempting to read. Vonnegut’s technique is very particular; with its satirical and straightforward style it has a catchy swing. Something, which still remains confusing for me, is why did Vonnegut write the book, and contradict himself if there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. There has to be something because there wouldn’t be a book otherwise. After all, there are no birds singing in war, and the perfect ending was the tweet of a bird.