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?

Reality vs. Fantasy

Kurt Vonnegut portrays Billy Pilgrim as a hopeless and clueless character when he is placed in situations of war and hostile situations, but throughout the book there are small snippets where he describes Billy's unique and intelligent thoughts and opinions. This occurs when Weary and Billy are found by the german soldiers.

"Billy stared into the patine of the corporal's boots, saw Adam and Eve in the golden depths. They were naked. They were so innocent, so vulnerable, so eager to behave decently. Billy Pilgim loved them"(Pg. 53)

The plot line of the book is broken into two separate parts. The events that happen to Billy in reality is where Billy is portrayed as hopeless and clueless, and he seems out of place. There is also a second story that is in Billy's virtual world, in which he time travels and is abducted. In Billy's head and on his spiritual travels he views and speaks of his life with intelligence and a unique opinion. What happens in Billy's head and reality is mixed and jumbled throughout the book, why did Kurt Vonnegut choose to write his book like this? 

Example Posts - Meets and Exceeds

The following are two posts that may serve as models for your own. These posts use The Grapes of Wrath as the considered text, but the requirements are the same. The first is an example of a post that MEETS the standard; the second is an example that EXCEEDS the standard.

Meets:

It became apparent in chapter 5 that the narrative of the Joad family is only one perspective of the struggles people faced in the 1930s. The use of racial slurs and culturally insensitive language reminds us that the Joads, although they are a poor family lacking many basic resources, they do have the privilege of being white. The use of the word "nigger" and the highly insensitive way of speaking about Native Americans remind us that whiteness was a privilege that could elevate the status of even the most desperate farmer.

I wonder how this theme of race and culture will continue to develop over the course of the novel. What will the presence of race and racism continue to teach us about the social fabric of the U.S. in the '30s?

Exceeds:

The description of the land in Chapter 5 tells us a lot about the tensions arising out of the industrialization of farming. The physical connection to the land is broken, and this seems to lead to a bigger gap that transcends the physical.

In chapter 5, we learn that the tractor driver "could not see the land as it was, he could not smell the land as it smelled; his feet did not stamp the clods or feel the warmth and power of the earth...Men ate what they had not raised, had no connection with the bread. The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses" (35, 36).

Humans are being replaced by machines, and these machines will never love and appreciate the land (and what the land provides) as much as the humans who farmed it with their own hands. I am curious to see how this theme continues to play out in the novel - will the divide between the human and the machine continue to grow, and will it cause the farmers' struggle to become increasingly bitter and devastating?

Notes:

• Please consider your grammar and spelling. These posts should be thoughtful and well-crafted. 
• As you can see, the posts need not be long. A few sentences, or a small paragraph or two is sufficient. Remember - quality over quantity! 
• Please title your post purposefully - your title should help give a heads-up about the content of your post.