Merry-go-round

Mery-Go-Round

It’s February 13 of 1976 the day of Billy Pilgrim’s death. Funny isn’t ir… well at least for Billy it is. We are facing a common, daily, very normal issue… death, then why is the world feeling so uneasy. The response of Billy’s audience to death is the typical earthling reaction, they don’t get the world like Billy or the Tralfamadorians do. “If you protest, if you think that death is a terrible thing, then you have not understood a word I’ve said.”  Billy addresses his audience in a mature and wise way. “Farewell, hello, farewell, hello.” (Pg 142)

For me, this signifies an infinite cycle, time traveling, and a pattern in life… Fare well, hello, and then back again… It’s just like a merry-go-round. Do you remember when you where a toddler, maybe even a kid ridding it? Your dad, mom, grandma, nanny or whoever would stand still in a place while you rode. As the carrousel went round, your guardian would anxiously await for your appearance. As soon as you saw them, you would wave hello fervently, and then in the next round goodbye with the same emotion, always alternating between the two types of waves. Still it was never a final goodbye or a unique hello. The cycle would then repeat itself until the ride stopped.

Lets pretend that the merry-go-round is just like Billy’s time traveling machine. “… It is time for me to be dead for a little while – and then live again.” (Pg 143)  He will say farewell for a small period of time, and then appear and say hello.  After all, this was just a stop in his time traveling so he will soon come back to life. “In the next moment Billy Pilgrim is dead. So it goes.” (Pg 143). This demonstrates the careless sense and way death should be accepted. It’s a natural fate for human beings and from my point of view it shouldn’t be mourned. On the contrary, the good moments and previous existence of the person should be celebrated. For instance take graduation; the high school period faces death. However it is not grieved, people rejoice all of the good memories even though the have come to an end.