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D.B. Pacini, July 10, 2009 (view all comments by D.B. Pacini)
Vonnegut Fan:

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut was nominated for a best-novel Nebula Award and for a best-novel Hugo Award. Time magazine considers it one of the 100 all-time best English-language novels written since 1923. It is.

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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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Product Details

ISBN:

9780440180296

Publisher:

Laurel Editions

Copyright:

1991