I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War...
Continue »
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a very poignant and powerful anti-war novel. In Vonnegut's characteristic style of terrific bluntness, the reader follows the story of Billy Pilgrim's life as he relives his memories and sees what the future will hold for him. The novel is intended to portray the horrors and atrocities of war, specifically using what Vonnegut saw in Dresden to showcase these ideas. As Vonnegut says about his book, "It is so short and jumbled and jangled... because there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again" (18). Overall, the book is such that it keeps the reader immersed and unable to set it down. Through the novel's style and ideas, Vonnegut has accomplished his anti-war objectives.
Since Vonnegut himself says that Slaughterhouse Five is primarily an anti-war novel, the criteria for judging whether it is effective in its purpose is whether it fosters a similar sense of abhorrence to war, or at the very least an appreciation of the thought process behind that abhorrence. Vonnegut had been meaning to write an anti-war book for quite some time before this novel was published. He wanted to tell about the horrible things he had seen in the Firebombing of Dresden during World War II. In judging this book, one should not only examine Vonnegut's expressed ideas, but also the style and characterization used to communicate those ideas. A brief examination of the plot will provide insight into the themes explored within the novel.
The novel begins with Kurt Vonnegut as the narrator, talking about his life and also how he is writing an anti-war novel about the Fire Bombing of Dresden. After the first chapter, the main character in the rest of the book is Billy Pilgrim. It begins, "Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time... He has seen his birth and death many times, he says, and pays random visits to all the events in between" (22). Soon he discusses how "he had been kidnapped by a flying saucer in 1967" (24). The aliens that kidnapped him were from the planet Trafalmadore, and Billy often mentions in the book what he learned from them. From this point on, Billy's narration skips around between events of his life. Much of these bits of narration have to do with the time that Billy spent in World War II. These war experiences are what make Vonnegut's novel most effective.
Slaughterhouse Five achieves Vonnegut's goals very well. The anti-war sentiment within the book is very obvious, and at the same time it isn't the only impression one takes away from the book. It makes the reader think, whether that reader is anti-war or not. The beginning of the book, narrated by Vonnegut himself, is where he clearly shows the reasons for writing this book. He says such things as, "The nicest veterans... the ones who hated the war most, were the ones who'd really fought" (10). This is not the only theme occurring in the novel, however.
Other themes that Vonnegut explores are death and time. The Trafalmadorians teach Billy Pilgrim about both of these. Billy says, "'The most important thing I learned on Trafalmadore was that when a person dies, he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist... It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one... and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever'" (25). One can apply this to one's own life life in the idea that one shouldn't mourn a death, but should rather cherish the memories experienced with that loved one. These additional themes set this novel apart from other anti-war novels.
One could compare Slaughterhouse Five to another famous anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Although both books delve into the horrors of war, Vonnegut seems to branch out more in his themes covered than Trumbo. Although Trumbo does address some other ideas, coming of age for example, anti-war sentiment is by far the dominating factor. Trumbo seems to throw the idea into the reader's face from the beginning to the end of the book. In contrast, Vonnegut talks about it but is not so forceful. This makes Slaughterhouse Five more effective because it is more appealing to the average reader. Not only that, but it is humorous and in many ways is more clever than Johnny Got His Gun. Although Vonnegut is not as forceful in his presentation of anti-war ideas, he uses various elements, like style, to communicate the ideas just as effectively, if not more so.
One part of Vonnegut's style that is so effective is his repetition. He often repeats the phrase “So it goes.” This is because Billy Pilgrim learned this idea from the Trafalmadorians who say the phrase about dead people, because, “the dead person... is in bad condition in that particular moment, but... is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I... say what the Trafalmadorians say about dead people, which is 'So it goes'” (26). Whenever death is mentioned in the book, it is more or less dismissed with a “So it goes.” However, this repetition has the opposite effect of shrugging death off, in that after enough repetitions it makes the reader pause and think whenever the phrase appears.
Overall, Slaughterhouse Five is an extremely clever and effective book that accurately communicates Vonnegut's ideas about war. This is an anti-war novel that, as the Trafalmadorians say, “always will exist” because it has an important message and is a worthwhile read for anyone.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(10 of 16 readers found this comment helpful)
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Don't Miss
Customer Comments
wot.ermix has commented on (1) product.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
wot.ermix, May 1, 2008
A UNIQUE SPIN ON ANTI-WAR NOVELSSlaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a very poignant and powerful anti-war novel. In Vonnegut's characteristic style of terrific bluntness, the reader follows the story of Billy Pilgrim's life as he relives his memories and sees what the future will hold for him. The novel is intended to portray the horrors and atrocities of war, specifically using what Vonnegut saw in Dresden to showcase these ideas. As Vonnegut says about his book, "It is so short and jumbled and jangled... because there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again" (18). Overall, the book is such that it keeps the reader immersed and unable to set it down. Through the novel's style and ideas, Vonnegut has accomplished his anti-war objectives.
Since Vonnegut himself says that Slaughterhouse Five is primarily an anti-war novel, the criteria for judging whether it is effective in its purpose is whether it fosters a similar sense of abhorrence to war, or at the very least an appreciation of the thought process behind that abhorrence. Vonnegut had been meaning to write an anti-war book for quite some time before this novel was published. He wanted to tell about the horrible things he had seen in the Firebombing of Dresden during World War II. In judging this book, one should not only examine Vonnegut's expressed ideas, but also the style and characterization used to communicate those ideas. A brief examination of the plot will provide insight into the themes explored within the novel.
The novel begins with Kurt Vonnegut as the narrator, talking about his life and also how he is writing an anti-war novel about the Fire Bombing of Dresden. After the first chapter, the main character in the rest of the book is Billy Pilgrim. It begins, "Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time... He has seen his birth and death many times, he says, and pays random visits to all the events in between" (22). Soon he discusses how "he had been kidnapped by a flying saucer in 1967" (24). The aliens that kidnapped him were from the planet Trafalmadore, and Billy often mentions in the book what he learned from them. From this point on, Billy's narration skips around between events of his life. Much of these bits of narration have to do with the time that Billy spent in World War II. These war experiences are what make Vonnegut's novel most effective.
Slaughterhouse Five achieves Vonnegut's goals very well. The anti-war sentiment within the book is very obvious, and at the same time it isn't the only impression one takes away from the book. It makes the reader think, whether that reader is anti-war or not. The beginning of the book, narrated by Vonnegut himself, is where he clearly shows the reasons for writing this book. He says such things as, "The nicest veterans... the ones who hated the war most, were the ones who'd really fought" (10). This is not the only theme occurring in the novel, however.
Other themes that Vonnegut explores are death and time. The Trafalmadorians teach Billy Pilgrim about both of these. Billy says, "'The most important thing I learned on Trafalmadore was that when a person dies, he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist... It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one... and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever'" (25). One can apply this to one's own life life in the idea that one shouldn't mourn a death, but should rather cherish the memories experienced with that loved one. These additional themes set this novel apart from other anti-war novels.
One could compare Slaughterhouse Five to another famous anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Although both books delve into the horrors of war, Vonnegut seems to branch out more in his themes covered than Trumbo. Although Trumbo does address some other ideas, coming of age for example, anti-war sentiment is by far the dominating factor. Trumbo seems to throw the idea into the reader's face from the beginning to the end of the book. In contrast, Vonnegut talks about it but is not so forceful. This makes Slaughterhouse Five more effective because it is more appealing to the average reader. Not only that, but it is humorous and in many ways is more clever than Johnny Got His Gun. Although Vonnegut is not as forceful in his presentation of anti-war ideas, he uses various elements, like style, to communicate the ideas just as effectively, if not more so.
One part of Vonnegut's style that is so effective is his repetition. He often repeats the phrase “So it goes.” This is because Billy Pilgrim learned this idea from the Trafalmadorians who say the phrase about dead people, because, “the dead person... is in bad condition in that particular moment, but... is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I... say what the Trafalmadorians say about dead people, which is 'So it goes'” (26). Whenever death is mentioned in the book, it is more or less dismissed with a “So it goes.” However, this repetition has the opposite effect of shrugging death off, in that after enough repetitions it makes the reader pause and think whenever the phrase appears.
Overall, Slaughterhouse Five is an extremely clever and effective book that accurately communicates Vonnegut's ideas about war. This is an anti-war novel that, as the Trafalmadorians say, “always will exist” because it has an important message and is a worthwhile read for anyone.
(10 of 16 readers found this comment helpful)