An Analysis Of Slaughterhouse Five

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Billy Pilgrim,Body on Earth, Mind in the Universe: An analysis of character Slaughterhouse-Five
Many people are intrigued by Kurt Vonnegut’s borderline sci-fi, anti-war book Slaughterhouse-Five, and how it has survived throughout the ages. Kurt Vonnegut is an innovative best selling, award winning author of many book such as; Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse-Five etc.The book Slaughterhouse-Five has no beginning, middle or end past the first chapter so it is very common for Billy Pilgrim to “time bounce” from his childhood, to the war, and to his elderly years and not all in that order. Billy Pilgrim is a man that did not have the greatest luck when it came to being a soldier.For instance “He was a scrawny, untrained private with scraps for a uniform such a creature could walk through war, oblivious yet unscathed, while so many others with more appropriate attire and provisions perish”(Sparknotes Editor). Mr. Vonnegut lived through some of the events portrayed in the book Slaughterhouse-Five such as the American air raid of Dresden, Germany. On February 13-14, 1945 nearly 135,000 Germans were killed from the tragic firebombing of the city of Dresden,Germany. In the book Billy claims to have lived this tragic event several times over. Mr. Vonnegut was a soldier of the 423rd Infantry Regiment, and 106 Infantry Division and earned a Purple Heart for his service after being injured at the Battle of The Bulge (Vonnegut.com). Many soldier in our day and age that fought in WWII and after have suffered from PTSD. An estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, with women (10.4%) twice as likely as men (5%) to develop PTSD. About 3.6 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 54 (5.2 mil...

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...ted his mental problems “so it goes”(Vonnegut 441). One instance was when he survived a plane crash with a plane full of optometrist and Billy was the only survivor so it goes. He witness his dad die just before he was going off to war “so it goes”(Vonnegut 441). His wife who suffocated by Carbon Monoxide after being in a car crash while she was on her way to see Billy in the hospital “so it goes”(Vonnegut 441). A hobo dying on the prison train right in front of Billy “so it goes”(Vonnegut 441). Even his own death that was followed out by Paul Lazzaro as promised, “so it goes”(Vonnegut 441). All the countless death that Billy has survived and endured throughout his life were tiny stepping stones for him to lose his mind completely.
In conclusion, Billy Pilgrim is no longer on earth, He has time warped keeping his body on earth but sending his mind off to roam free.

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