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Tara McDaniel, June 1, 2009 (view all comments by Tara McDaniel)
I pretty much thought this book was brilliant--I've read it twice now and I shall read it again. It is difficult to write about, and read about, a subject of horror. Because, c'mon, that's what it is. If the earth in Dresden becomes a veritable tomb for stinking, rotting corpses, and the few survivors have to spray fire into the holes to incinerate the rot because it is physically impossible to smell and touch the rot without hacking all your guts out...well, that's horrific. Yet Vonnegut mangag...more I pretty much thought this book was brilliant--I've read it twice now and I shall read it again. It is difficult to write about, and read about, a subject of horror. Because, c'mon, that's what it is. If the earth in Dresden becomes a veritable tomb for stinking, rotting corpses, and the few survivors have to spray fire into the holes to incinerate the rot because it is physically impossible to smell and touch the rot without hacking all your guts out...well, that's horrific. Yet Vonnegut mangages to write about such experiences with a certain degree of humor; he can look straight at a subject but give the reader enough breathing space and entertainment that he or she does not have to throw the book aside in total disgust. Vonnegut can get you to think, not by standing on a soapbox, but by placing an object before you and saying, "Well--here it is." And then, sliding his hands in his pockets, "What do you think of it?"

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mhackbarth, May 4, 2009 (view all comments by mhackbarth)
Kurt Vonnegut does an amazing job of putting together a work of art that will echo through the ages in his creation of Slaughterhouse Five. This work is timeless because it is truly unlike any other and something everyone can enjoy. Vonnegut creates this story by employing an interesting blend of humor to things not usually funny, and a science fiction twist to an anti-war story which is not easily forgotten.

The story starts off as a first person narration by the author. In it, he reminisces on old memories and friends, and then tells the reader “This all happened, more or less.” (1) This passage is important because it gives background information into his life and why he is creating this story. This is one of the many things that is so unique about this book. Vonnegut puts himself into the story, although it is not meant to be about him. This lets the reader know how important these events are to him and makes the story that much more meaningful. Though very interesting, this can become confusing in the beginning as it feels more like an introduction and it had me wondering if I picked up the wrong book. However, it is not an introduction because Vonnegut feels it is so important to the understanding of the rest of the story and wants the reader to read it. Around 28 pages in Vonnegut transfers into the true story which is centered around a character named Billy Pilgrim.

Billy Pilgrim is described as “Tall and weak, and shaped like a bottle of Coca-Cola” (30). A character one doesn’t usually think of when you picture a war novel. This choice in character is very important. Vonnegut uses it to make Billy a very unlikely hero and very relatable to the general public. He is not some built up killing machine of war. He is your average man, or maybe even less. Billy is an optometrist in Ilium, New York and a veteran of World War II. He leads an average life, two children, and a wife, nothing outwardly spectacular. That is though if you leave out Billy’s travels through time and his encounters with the Tralfamadorians; extraterrestrial life forms who capture Billy and take him to the planet Tralfamadore. Billy explains how he has become “Unstuck in time” (29) and travels frequently through time to the past and future which becomes important to the novel. He lives between the war, his time on Tralfamadore, and his life in Ilium, both in the past, present, and future. Billy’s fragmented travels highlight his mental instability and his quest to find himself after what he experienced in the war. This theme of war and its effects is just one of the different themes Vonnegut creates.

The central themes of the novel rest on war, fate and free will, and the idea of insight. Since it is an anti-war novel, war is one of the most basic and important elements. Billy often flashes back to his time in the war, particularly the bombing of Dresden which he witnesses first hand and is one of the few survivors of. It is this experience which makes it an anti-war novel as it shows the destruction to the human psyche through Billy’s unstable mental condition. The next important theme is the idea of fate and free will. Here the serenity prayer becomes important as it is mentioned a few different times. This idea of free will is also brought up by the Tralfamadorians as one tells Billy “I’ve visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe, and studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will” (109). This demonstrates how there is no fate and free will since everything is as it should be and happens no matter what. The last important theme is the theme of sight. Being an optometrist, Billy’s life is centered on helping people see clearly, which is what the book attempts to do. Help the reader see. Vonnegut creates these themes while using very unique elements.

This book is so different from many other books like because of the elements used. Vonnegut takes a subject that is not outwardly humorous and puts humor into it thus making it very entertaining. Another thing I really liked and found interesting was the simplicity in which the novel is written. After dealing with such difficult and powerful ideas I was surprised by how easy the story is to read and understand even with all the time travel and odd situations. The way in which Vonnegut writes seems so fluid and effortless which makes the story all that much more interesting to follow. Another element I found to be very different was the use of repetition. There are many ideas and events which are repeated but none more so than the line “So it goes”. This line seems to follow almost every line and especially in the most gruesome circumstances. For example, when Vonnegut describes the character Weary and his story he says “It killed everybody on the gun crew but Weary. So it goes” (44). This repetition used after such events takes away from the horror of the situation, and they become more relaxed and unimportant. The final element I found interesting was the way Vonnegut writes about the characters in the story. The characters are not very developed and seem very empty and unimportant. This goes hand in hand with the plot structure which is also very empty as there is no climax or real actions. The reader is then able to focus solely on the story and meanings in themselves and create their own conclusions.

In all, Slaughterhouse Five is a book I would definitely recommend to others. It contains very strong ideas, balanced with a unique writing style and a touch of humor. Truly creative and entertaining, it is a must read for everyone.

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michelle09, May 3, 2009 (view all comments by michelle09)
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is an anti-war novel that should be read in a person’s lifetime.
The background information of this book plays a big role in the effect it has on readers. Vonnegut wrote this novel on account of his own personal experience in World War II. Like Billy Pilgrim, the main character and protagonist of his book, Vonnegut was a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany. He was found, captured and forced to find, burn, and bury dead bodies. He mentions most of the same events in the book from what he went through in his own life. In the beginning, Vonnegut writes, “All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true” (1). He changed some parts to make it fiction. This makes it personal enough. However, the background information is not all that makes the book stick out.
The plot gives the book meaning and is one of the reasons why a person would want to read it. It starts out with Billy Pilgrim and how he is born and raised in Illium, New York. He goes to the Illium School of Optometry and is then drafted into World War II. From there, he is sent into the Battle of Belgium and is captured by Germany. Here is where he experiences time travel and goes back and forth between different periods of his life. He gets engaged to Valencia Marble and is introduced to his favorite author, Kilgore Trout. He has a daughter with Valencia. The night after his daughter’s wedding, he is abducted by aliens and taken to the planet Tralfamadore. Vonnegut explains, “He was taken to Tralfamadore, where he was displayed naked in a zoo, he said,” (32). He is talking about Billy here and how Billy describes the planet to which he was taken. Some people blame it on the war and say he is crazy. Billy ends the book by saying he knows when he will die and how. The plot is not the only part of the book that kept me interested.
Vonnegut uses a few poetic devices to hold the reader’s attention. His repetition of the phrases “So it goes” and “And so on” show the reader that these are important. The author says, “So it goes” after every line written about a person or object that is dead or dying. An example of this is, “The regimental chaplain’s assistant had been killed in action. So it goes,” (40). This repetition of “so it goes” shows the reader that death is inevitable and cannot be avoided. Whether a person is rich or poor, fat or skinny, that person cannot escape death for any reason. While Vonnegut’s repetition of the phrase “And so on” is more vague, it is still important. Vonnegut tells the reader, “He told them about his father’s collection of guns and swords and torture instruments and leg irons and so on,” (45). Though we may not know why this phrase is important or repeated, it makes the reader want to keep reading to try and find out why the author uses it in context. The third person point-of-view is another poetic device that Vonnegut uses in his novel. He explains, “It made Weary sick to be ditched,” (44). Though he is not talking about Billy Pilgrim, writing the novel in omniscient third person gives the reader a different perspective of what is happening from another character. This helps the reader understand how the war can affect people differently and it depends on the circumstances.
Any person can enjoy Slaughterhouse-Five, whether they are interested in the war or having to do with war or not. This book makes the reader want to keep reading because they do not know what is going to happen next. The author keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. It is hard to understand how a person would feel after being in a war such as World War II and having those experiences, and this book makes the reader want to understand. A lot of what Vonnegut talks about is hard to grasp because not many people experience the war or remember what they have seen or done. The book is interesting because it is not like other anti-war novels in this sense.
Kurt Vonnegut uses a variety of different ways to hold the reader’s attention. It is a book that should be read, as long as the reader has an open mind.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780440180296

Subtitle:

Or the Children's Crusade, a Duty-Dance with Death

Author:

Vonnegut, Kurt

Author:

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr.

Publisher:

Dell Publishing Company

Location:

New York, N.Y. :

Subject:

General

Subject:

Literary

Subject:

Fiction

Subject:

World war, 1939-1945

Subject:

Classics

Subject:

World War, 19

Copyright:

1968

Edition Number:

1st Laurel ed.

Large Print:

Y

Series Volume:

95

Publication Date:

November 1991

Binding:

Mass Market Paperbound

Language:

English

Illustrations:

Y

Pages:

224

Dimensions:

6.92x4.23x.61 in. .24 lbs.