Slaughterhouse -5 by Kurt Vonnegut is a novel that is a satiric reaction to World War II. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, has become “unstuck in time”. Vonnegut has created a structure of a novel that takes the reader through the experience of Billy’s life as he is experiencing it, with no control, logic, or order.
Remember that nothing in a work of literature is accidental. The author or playwright chose each character, scene, and word. Vonnegut decided to give Billy the last name Pilgrim. The original meaning of the word pilgrim is a person who goes on a journey seeking religious or spiritual understanding. Christian pilgrims journey to Rome, Muslim pilgrims journey to Mecca, and Jewish pilgrims journey to Jerusalem. Vonnegut seems to draw attention to the idea that Billy is pilgrim who is on a journey, even if he did not choose that journey or isn’t aware of the fact that he is seeking spiritual knowledge.
At first glance, this illogical structure seems to be absurd, but it allows the reader to share Billy’s perspective. The situations and challenges the Billy faces are dangerous and tragic, and he has no power to change or prevent any of those events. choose one of the following questions
As you read the novel, focus on the following questions:
How does Vonnegut present the world that Billy experiences?
Every soldier who goes through war suffers a traumatic stress syndrome. How does Billy react to the suffering around him as well as the events that he undergoes?
What kind of soldier is Billy? How do other soldiers react to him?
In the world of Slaughterhouse 5, the Tralfamodorians are crucial characters. One way to view these aliens is to simply dismiss them as a fantasy that Billy creates, but what purpose do they serve in the story? How does encountering them change Billy?
How is Billy’s last name, Pilgrim, a symbol in the story?