Insanity of War in Slaughterhouse Five - 1504 Words

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is the tale of a gawky World War II veteran/soldier, Billy Pilgrim. His wartime experiences and their effects lead him to the ultimate conclusion that war is unexplainable. To portray this effectively, Vonnegut presents the story in two dimensions: historical and science-fiction. The irrationality of war is emphasized in each dimension by contrasts in its comic and tragic elements. The historical seriousness of the Battle of the Bulge and the bombing of Dresden are contrasted by many ironies and dark humor; the fantastical, science-fiction-type place of Tralfamadore is, in truth, an outlet for Vonnegut to show his incredibly serious fatalistic views. The surprising variations of the seriousness†¦show more content†¦One soldier dies from the dry heaves after being forced to work in a rotting corpse mine. Ironically, this man has survived the bombing of Dresden, yet dies from the smell of others who died in the bombing. Eventually, th e corpse mines are closed because of the horrendous conditions, and the war ends. The book ends as Billy is walking out of the slaughterhouse after gaining his freedom and he notices is that, Birds were talking. One bird said to Billy Pilgrim, Poo-tee-weet? The birds cameo in the story reinforces the idea that there is nothing to say about an unnecessary massacre as in Dresden, and that war is illogical, like the birds words. This is ironic, since the theme of the novel, which should be the clearest message derived from the story, is summed up in the incoherent words of a bird. All these incidences of irony show senselessness and coincidence, with undertones of dark humor. [In questioning why the incidences of the novel occur, it is impossible to give a logical explanation.] This parallels the idea that war is nonsense, senseless, full of coincidence, and is unexplainable. As a result of the trauma of Billys war experience, he faces an inability to deal with reality later in his life. The fantastical Tralfamadore is a planet where Billy escapes to when he feels lifes stresses; however mad Billy seems to have become, Tralfamadore doubles to reveal Vonneguts earnest fatalistic views. Tralfamadore is theShow MoreRelatedThe Insanity of War in Slaughterhouse Five800 Words   |  4 PagesThe Insanity of War in Slaughterhouse Five Regarding his views on war, Albert Einstein said in 1931, â€Å"[he] who joyfully marches to music in rank and file†¦ has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him a spinal cord would surely suffice.† Slaughterhouse Five, written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is a satirical World War II novel. The novel focuses on Billy Pilgrim’s experiences. 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However, when the texts are examined with a discerning eye one can notice multiple thematic undercurrents such as war fate,time and suffering hidden in plain sight. Overwhelmingly common in Cats Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five are strong anti-war sentiments which show all the way s war is deleterious towards the human condition.(Marvin) Vonnegut shows how war only causes pointless