The Intricately Woven Themes of Slaughterhouse-Five :: Slaughterhouse-Five Essays

The Intricately Woven Themes of Slaughterhouse-Five At first glance Slaughterhouse-Five appears to be a simplistic story. It is a short account of a man's experiences in World War II and the effects the war had on his life. But by taking a deeper look into Slaughterhouse-Five we see intricately woven themes, contrasts, and morals. Vonnegut has disguised a great lecture against war and an acceptance of death through the idiocy and simplicity of Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut begins the novel with a warning. His first chapter subtly warns us that Slaughterhouse-Five has been difficult for him to produce. "This one is a failure," he writes, "since it was written by a pillar of salt" (22; ch. 1). The irony of this statement is that by looking back in time Vonnegut accuses himself of idiocy, like Billy Pilgrim. Yet one of the main themes of the entire work is the "bugs in amber" or the existence of the past, present, and future all at once. In the opening chapter he also humbles his work by telling us how it begins and ends, stressing the succeeding theme. Billy Pilgrim is a master of disguise. He serves as a superb mask that Vonnegut hides behind in order to get his messages across without scaring readers away with boring lectures. Vonnegut wants us to accept life as it is and to understand that death is inevitable and something we must not fear. He indirectly lets us know that this is a realization that he has come to in his own life, most likely through the war experience, and invites us to follow in his footsteps. Through his humor and lightheartedness he does not force these ideas on us but helps us to open our minds to new ways of perceiving our lives. As the king of