War is Inevitable and Death is Too

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is a satire on the behaviors of man. Often characterized as an anti-war novel, Slaughterhouse-Five tries to show that war and destruction are a part of the human life cycle. Humanity is highly conflict prone; conflict resolution often manifests itself in the terms of war. Vonnegut attempts to show that war results in widespread death and destruction; therefore, war and death are inevitable. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut explores the inevitability of war, shown through the examination of color usage - such as blue and ivory - in order to symbolize the interminable presence of war.

Vonnegut establishes the over riding idea of how war is inevitable to prove that no human beings will ever be able to cease war and death because they are never ending, cynical cycles of life. The anonymous narrator, in chapter one, begins to make points to show that war is inevitable. At one point, the anonymous narrator discusses his anti-war book with Harrison Starr, the movie-maker, who inquires, “’Why don't you write an anti-glacier book instead?’ What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I believe that too” (3). The argument between writing an anti-war novel and the inevitability of war begins at this point. Billy is thinking about writing a book regarding the bombings of Dresden because he desires to exemplify the ironic idea that Dresden is a beautiful place, full of innocents, which is ultimately destroyed by the interminable threat and existence of war. Dresden should have never been bombed because it is not considered a military stronghold or military target. Dresden is an occupational city with “medicine and food-processing...

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...s to show the absurdity of war. Humanity as a whole is highly conflict prone. Unfortunately, humans often turn to war to resolve their differences. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut attempts to show that war is inescapable due to human nature. War leads to death and destruction as evidenced by the firebombing of Dresden. War and death are inevitable. Through the examination of the use of blue and ivory, Kurt Vonnegut explores the inevitability of war and the inescapable power that war holds on humanity. Without war, humankind would have no release for its anger and differences. The world would not be able to function due to the exasperation created in one’s mind by differences in perspectives, ideas, and opinions.

Works Cited

Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five; Or, The Children's Crusade, a Duty-dance with Death. [New York]: Delacorte, 1969. Print.