Flashback

Within Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, we are constantly jumping back and forth between Billy's memories and his time with the Tralfamadorians. In chapter three, Billy has a flashback to when he was in his optometry office in Ilium and his conversation with a patient. Within this flashback, Billy goes to his desk where an open copy of The Review of Optometry lies and reads a part of the editorial. Shortly afterwards a siren goes off to announce noon time.

"A siren went off, scared the hell out of him. He was expecting World War Three at any time" (Vonnegut 57)

This quote not only refers to PTSD within Billy and how the siren corresponds to a horrific moment when he was at war but also reflects today's soldiers and veterans. PTSD is common among people coming back from deployment. Simple things such as a siren or fireworks can send a vet or soldier into a memory of war. The things soldiers witness stay with them. By showing how scared Billy was at the sound of the siren, Vonnegut shows how war continues to affect soldiers even when they return home. What are your opinions on PTSD? Do you think Vonnegut may be using Billy's experience with the siren as a way to show how he was affected by the war?

The Children's Crusade

In chapter one we discover how the alternative title, The Children's Crusade, is chosen. While visiting Bernard O'Hare for help with the novel, Vonnegut also meets his wife Mary. As the two talk about their memories from Dresden, Mary is in the kitchen making a lot of unnecessary noise in order to show her anger towards the topic. She eventually comes out angry and complaining about how everyone fighting the war were "just babies." Mary was afraid of what would happen to the world after the book came out. She was afraid that it would be written to make war look far less horrifying then it really is.

"You'll pretend you were men instead of babies, and you'll be played in the movies by Frank Sinatra and John Wayne or some of those other glamorous, war-loving, dirty old men. And war will look just wonderful, so we'll have a lot more of them. And they'll be fought by babies like the babies upstairs" (14).

Every soldier fighting the war was someones child. They all meant something to their families back home. Mary understood this which caused her anger towards war. "She didn't want her babies or anybody else's babies killed in wars" (15). With Mary's opinions on war came the second title of the novel. Not only are we reading Slaughterhouse Five, but The Children's Crusade as well. What do you think about Mary's opinion on war and the soldiers being babies too young to be on the line? What does keeping his promise of titling the book The Children's Crusade show about Vonnegut?

American Soldiers

Near the end of chapter 5, some of the German soldiers taking care of the American prisoners of war were observing how useless and pathetic American soldiers were. Billy overheard them talking about how an American soldier only thinks of himself and pity's himself to the point of committing suicide in some cases. The German soldier is reading a book in which America is described as a the richest nation, but all the people are poor, and in a way to be poor in America is a crime.

"America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves." (Pg. 118)

I thought this was a very interesting concept and in some cases I believe it is true. A poor person in America is always looked down upon by society and is often stuck in a inferiority complex which holds them back from achieving more. But I also think that the Germans who are making fun of these prisoners of war as being thin and having no strength at all physically and mentally is a little unfair. For it is their treatment that brings the Americans down like that and they only see the week and hopeless American soldiers that have fallen behind. Do you think that Billy is like one of those poor Americans that has giving up hope and strength because he has become poor, or is he just a separate case all together?

Are the Tralfamadorians Changing Billy?

Throughout the novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy shows no motivation to live. As said before, he could really care less about what happens to himself. And as encounters the Tralfamadorians he gets insight as to how they live and why they live that way; specifically how they try to live in peace. The Tralfamadorians tell him about how the world will end, who will do it, and why there is no point in trying to change it.

"He has always pressed it, and he always will. We always let him and we always will let him. The moment is structured that way," (Vonnegut, 117).

This quote goes back to my last blog, Tralfamadorian Novels Alike Slaughterhouse-Five; where I talked about the structure of Kurt Vonnegut's novel and Tralfamadorian novels. Each moment is important in it's own way and helps build the entire story. Perhaps that connects to this quote; that everything happens for a reason, and no one will alter it because it will always end the same way. So, knowing that the world will never live in peace but can become peaceful if you focus on the good things. Do you think this conversation with the Tralfamadorians gave Billy more or less will to live?

Tralfamadorian Novels Alike Slaughterhouse-Five

After Billy is kidnapped by the flying saucer, Billy asks for a novel to read. The Tralfamadorians give him a novel in their language and Billy observes it closely. Right away he notices that the book is organized by separate moments/messages that are unique to each other. The messages may not be directly connected but when read all at once, or seen equally they mold to each other to create a specific image of life. The Tralfamadorians admire these novels because it allows one to observe life in it's many depths at one time.

"There isn't any particular relationship between all the messages, except that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time"(Vonnegut, 88). 

The style of writing the Tralfamadorians use is quite similar to Vonnegut's. There are many different and bizarre situations that happen with Billy, and they all seem to come at random. In fact, Billy's life seems to be all Déjà vu; one little experience triggers another and another. It's not until you gather more information about Billy's experiences that you realize they are connected in some tiny way. When the Tralfamadorians say that the author has chosen the messages carefully I think Vonnegut has done the same. There is a reason that Billy jumps back in time to his childhood then jumps back into the war. Something about that conversation with the Tralfamadorians brought him to a specific moment. Perhaps this shows that each little moment comes together in the end. Do you think Vonnegut chose to piece these scenarios together with time travel to show a bigger picture? And when do you think we will realize this novel is much more than just someones jumbled imagination?  

Coping with War

As Billy is riding the train from Luxembourg to Germany, he continually refers to the old "hobo" that sits in the corner of the box car. The old man keeps telling Billy that what they were going through was not as bad as what he has gone through as a homeless man. The Irony is that he is one of the first to die in the box car.

"On the ninth day, the hobo died. So it goes. His last words were, "You think this is bad? This ain't bad".(pg. 79)

I believe that this man was just trying to conceal his fear and weakness by convincing himself that he has gone through worse. I also believe that this was somewhat the case with Billy and the tralfamadadorians. He has made up the scenario in his head as a coping mechanism for what he has seen in war. Do you think Billy is using the Alien race to explain whats happening in a less harmful and brutal way?

Billy's Lack of Enthusiasm for Living

In the book, Billy is shown as a careless man who does not care much about life of others around him. In a way he is almost suicidal in that he could care less if he is shot or killed, and thus puts the pressure on others to aid him and carry/drag him along with them. He is a burden. He has a framed prayer hanging in his office that helps him to keep going and to keep living life.

"Billy had a framed prayer on his office wall which expressed his methods for keeping going, even though he was unenthusiastic about living "(Pg. 60)

Billy's lack of enthusiasm in life is also shown in the book when he is shot at on the road by a sniper during the war, and instead of getting to cover like all the others, he stood still and as said in the book "gave the shooter a second chance." It was luck that he was not hit by the second bullet, and in many ways this luck continues to keep Billy alive when he seems to just want it to be over. Do you think that Billy is a reflection of what Kurt Vonnegut saw himself as in the war and if so, why?