Chapter 10-Where Does It All Connect?

There is no doubt that this novel is a wild one.  It jumps from war stories, to plane crashes, to random deaths, to alien abductions, etc.  Throughout the story I was waiting for all of these accounts to overlap, i guess, and for them to finally connect.  I feel like they do, but in a different sense.  You see Vonnegut says in the beginning that there is nothing really intelligent to be said about war and violence.  I think that he jumps around like this to show how no one can really analyze war and that there is nothing much that he can say about it.  So instead he uses Billy, a weak and vulnerable character, to show the nasty side of war that not many people hear about.  Most people think of war as a valiant cause that people fight for with their lives.  However, Vonnegut is saying that war, especially WWII, is nothing but a bunch of lost human beings, like Billy and Weary, fighting and dying by the millions for no real reason.

Colorful Imagery

At the end of the novel, Vonnegut describes many features about the surrounding world.  He describes the wagon that was previously mentioned in chapter 9 as green.  As many of you know, green is a color that represents oppurtunity, an new beginnings, such as a wide open green meadow. He also says "The trees were leafing out. There was nothing going on out there, nothing of any kind" (215).  I think that Vonnegut is trying to say that there is hope for people to move on, however that choice will be up to them.  If they are willing to forgive themselves and put everything behind them, then their lives will be green again.  However, if they choose not to, then they will be stuck in this war for the rest of their lives.

Chapter 9

Although this chapter contains many references to peace and happiness, I think that there is an underlying mood of death and evilness.  When he describes the vehicle that he and the other prisoners are riding in as a coffin shaped wagon, we can not help but get a nervous hill down our spines.  I think Vonnegut is trying to use this wagon as a symbol to show how even though the prisoners survived, their memories and experiences will serve as a chilling reminder of what they went through.  SO basically, they are living out a death sentence, like the wagon shaped as a coffin (a moving deathbed).  This idea makes us feel like there is no hope for these men, despite the fact that they made it through such difficult times.

Theme

One prominent theme that I noticed in chapter 9 was the idea of happiness and peace.  As Billy lies on the ruins of the destroyed Dresden, he comments on the peacefulness of the scene.  The calamity of everything and the warmth brings about peace in his mind.  A few sentences later, Billy tells of a lesson the Tralfamadorians taught him.  They said to "concentrate on the happy moments of his life, and to ignore the unhappy ones-to stare only at the pretty things as eternity failed to go by"(195).  I think this idea is a way that everyone should live by.  However, not only should we look at our lives this way, but we should look at others the same way.  If we get stuck looking at eachother's negative qualities, then we  will go nowhere in life.

Chapter 8

               
I'm not sure about the rest of you, but when I read the part about Edgar Derby standing up to Howard Campbell, I got a burst of American pride.  It makes me proud to live in a country that promotes freedom, and values each others rights.  We refuse to allow oppression, and we make it our nationwide goal to teach people the right direction.  This chapter also makes me happy to know that there will always people that stand up to oppression, no matter how bad the world is.  If tiny, weak, defeated Edgar Derby can stand up to a Nazi officer even though the Nazi is offering to give him food, clothing, and shelter (probably the three things he wants the most), then why can't we all.  We are all Americans, and it is our job to oppose oppresion and to promote freedom.

Foreshadowing

                    
The foreshadowing in this chapter comes in the early part of the chapter.  When Howard Campbell comes to talk to the prisoners the night before the bombing of Dresden (this is only known to the reader and narrator),  the "air-raid sirens of Dresden howled mournfully" (164).  However, this is actually a false alarm and there is nothing wrong at all.  The way he describes the alarms setting off is very unsettling.  He says that they 'howl mournfully' as opposed to saying that they 'went off' to show just how much of a terrible fate the people are about to undergo the very next night.

Chapter 7

This is the first chapter that we get suggestions that Billy's alien accounts are relevant to the story, and that his time-traveling might actually serve a purpose in understanding who exactly he is.  As BIlly experiences many more flashbacks and flash-forwards, we start to question his identity for it is hard to understand a character who we see as an infant, a husband, a POW, and a man abducted by aliens.  However, the Tralfamadorians share a theory with Billy that they see the universe in four dimensions (length, width, depth, and time).  They claim that it is a major flaw of earthlings that they do not see this way.  I fell that Billy has become so absorbed with his fictional world that he strives to see the world as the Tralfamadorians see it.  Therefor he flashes back and forth through time and through his life in an attempt to understand his life better.  We now see just how strong of a hold the world he has created has impacted his real life, so much to the point that it has completely altered his view of the world.

Symbolism

I know that often when we think of symbols, especially in literature, we think of inanimate objects.  However, we sometimes forget that authors also like to use humans as symbols in their stories to say something important or to merely comment about an aspect of life.  In this chapter, Vonnegut uses the cook as a symbol to represent those who negate the sacrifices the soldiers make.  She says to them that "All the real soldiers are dead" in response to seeing their dreadful condition.  many people think that only strong, physical men are the ones that can survive the war (such as Ronald Weary who actually ends up dieing in the fourth chapter).  It is easy for people like the cook to forget how valuable a small man like Billy can actually be in the war and they forget that these soldiers are making sacrifices themselves such as being away from their home and families. That is something that should never be overlooked.

Chapter 6

                               
One thing that I really noticed in this chapter was the two lumps at the beginning.  Billy is very intrigued by them and questions what they are.  However he is told not to question their identity, and if he does that, then they will perform miracles for him.  Most people nowadays will simply accept that request because even if they do not know what these mysterious items are, they know that they will be performing miracles for them, which is all that matters.  This mentality is how dictators come to power.  They rise from a nation that is falling apart.  No one is really sure who they are, but this mysterious figure can give riveting speeches and promises to turn the country around, as long as the people will trust him with the power.  These people who are in desperation turn to this man who they do not fully understand, yet they trust him to fix all their problems. It is the same way that Hitler rose to power, which leads me to think that Vonnegut meant for the objects to be seen that way.

Diction

In Slaughterhouse-Five, there are several characters who posses many grisly and flat-out messed up thoughts. They are very gruesome and often fantasize about murder and destruction.  Ronald Weary from the earlier chapters, for example, demonstrated a man who, one could tell, has a desire for violence.  We start to see these traits develop in Lazzaro as well.  We see it in his dialogue as Vonnegut writes, "Now Lazzaro's eyes twinkled. 'Blood started coming out of his mouth.  He started crying, and he rolled on the ground, as though the knives were on the outside of him instead of on the inside of him.  Then he tried to bite out his own insides.  I laughed, and I said to him you got the right idea now.  Tear your own guts out, boy.  That's me in there with all those knives.'" (139)  The strong, violent image of flat out torture of his own dog is unsettling to the reader, but it gives us a good idea of the kind of person Lazzaro truly is.

Chapter 5

                                 
 At this point in the story, we now see the relevance of the Tralfamadorians within it.  When I first read about how a science fiction plot would be weaved within an anti-war novel about WWII, I thought that it would have no bearing on any underlying meaning of the story.  However, the aliens give the reader a different perspective of the mentality of the Nazis.  When the American get pushed by the German officer and asks him "Why me?" to which the officer replies "Vy you? Vy anybody?", we see how Vonnegut parrallels the Nazi's with the aliens.  The Nazis pretend that their unspeakable actions of  violence and disgraceful warcrimes are all simply a natural part of the order of events.  They act as if they have no choice in the choices they commit, so they use it as an excuse to defend what they are doing.  Still, no matter who you are, you are always given a choice.  And no one in the universe, not even the Lord Himself can decide or even alter that decision for you.

Irony

Chapter 5 heavily explores the issue of free will.  As Billy spends more time with the Tralfamadorians, he starts to understand their concept on free will and appreciates their theory.  They think that no matter what you do, you can not stop the natural order of things, and that basically, everyone in the world is playing in a massive play that is out of their control.  What is ironic is it is Billy's desire to share with the world his belief that we have no choice over our actions.  It is his own free will that drives him to teach the world his theory about how we cannot do what we want in the world.

Chapter 4

What surprised me most in chapter 3 was the death of Ronald Weary.  I know that him and Billy Pilgrim barely got along with each other, but I still felt that they had some sort of odd connection that was going to develop into a strong relationship between the two.  However, Weary passes away relatively soon in the story which was an end to that theory.  It shows how sometimes we  feel as if we are friends with someone, and because of that, nothing could ever happen to them.  This however is false.  Whatever happens is what happens, and sometimes some people are just simply subject fate.

Repetition

Throughout the novel, Vonnegut is very apathetic about death.  Many people throughout the story die (which is expected), yet he does not show any emotion or reverence towards their demise. He also simply says "so it goes" after he reports a death in the story.  Even after the most obscure and simple deaths such as a tiny bug, he will still say so it goes.  For example, he writes "So Billy uncorked it with his thumbs. It didn't make a pop. The champagne was dead. So it goes" (73).  I think that Vonnegut repeats this to show that even after the death of a human being, it is still only one death.  Other people, creatures, and even object die all of the time. If we put that in perspective, then we see that we are not as important as we make ourselves out to be.

Chapter 3

This chapter outlines the first experiences that Billy has with the prison camp.  It is a violent and disgusting place and Vonnegut describes it as such, yet his satire in the chapter is humorous and can't but help make you smile as you read about Billy having a panic attack when he hears the siren that simply reminds everyone that it is noon.  The fact that Vonnegut uses such a vulnerable character in his story makes it easier to add humor to it.  It is similar to how Mark Twain writes in Huck Finn.  He identifies the weaknesses of his characters and satirizes them throughout the novel which is what Vonnegut does to Billy and Weary.

Imagery

                       

 As I read through chapter three, I began to realize the vivid imagery that Vonnegut uses to portray what life is like at the prison camp.  However his images also contain satire and sarcasm.  He says phrases such as "the hinged clogs were transforming his feet into blood puddings" (64) and "human beings were excreting into steel helmets" (70), to describe what is happening in the story.  However, these images also hint at sarcasm as he uses amusing and absurd phrases like 'blood puddings' to give these images a lighter tone.

Chapter 2

This chapter in the book marks the beginning of Billy's journey and also the end and the middle.  What Vonnegut does is he flashes through the various highlights of Billy's life so that we can understand better the kind of person he is.  What is also interesting is the relationship between him and Ronald Weary.  They both struggle to understand each other and they have many differences, yet they are both cast out of the crowd and are sometimes forced together.  Weary has saved Billy's life several times which makes their relationship even more complicated as at the end of the chapter, Weary is also trying to kill him.

Characterization

This first chapter is all about identifying the main characters in the story.  We begin to understand who Billy is and we see the way he behaves. He is a physically and mentally weak human being without any sort of skill.  He is vulnerable and we see his life as unstable and full of sin and loss.  Ronald Weary meanwhile is a man who is strong and mean, and he seems to be a stereotypical, moronic bully.  He is cruel and pushes around everyone, and people around him report that "He had been unpopular because he was stupid and fat and mean, and he smelled like bacon no matter how much he washed."  Despite his cruelty, he is a good soldier that saves Billy's life many times, thus creating a sort-of love-hate relationship between the two.

Chapter 1

It seems as if Vonnegut uses his first chapter more as a foreward to his story rather than an actual essential piece to it.  He breaks down how he gathered all of his materials for the story, and all of the lessons he learned just by writing the story.  It was a long process for him to write it and it was much more difficult than he thought it would be.  However he finally finished the story and we see how much that simply writing the story has made him a changed man.

Point of View

In this first chapter, the point of view has a direct impact on the way we understand the story.  He writes it from his first person point of view to make his story seem more personal.  The way he describes his journeys of how he attained all of his material for the story is brought to even more light by how he tells it through his own eyes.  For example he Vonnegut says, "O'Hare and I gave up on remembering, went into the living room, talked about other things."  Had he said something like 'the two men went into the living room,' we would have lost the personal touch that a first person story has.