Kurt Vonnegut fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the
last major German offensive of World War II. His unit was inexperienced and
sent to what was considered a “relatively quiet” area. He and many others were
captured and sent by train to Dresden. The train was bombed by the British
Royal Air Force and many were killed but he survived and became a prisoner of
war, working in a factory by day and living in a “warehouse”. Dresden was not
of any strategic importance and had little in the way of defence or air-raid
shelters so when the controversial three-day blanket-bombing by Allied forces began, he hid in a cellar during that time, which was full of “hanging cadavers”. When
he emerged Dresden was mostly gone - flattened by the carpet-bombing.
It has often been remarked that war leads to the production
of great art and literature. In Vonnegut’s case his experiences led to the
creation of his greatest and most successful work: Slaughterhouse Five. The
building he had been living in was an abattoir or ‘slaughter house’.
He expounds his philosophy through this crazy, original,
thought-provoking book whose protagonist is Billy Pilgrim. There are multiple
themes in the book; I would say that the major ones include: the folly of war, free
will (or rather, the lack of it) and time. Not only is the time sequence not
linear, it’s not just flashbacks either – it’s all over the place!
Also appearing in Slaughterhouse Five is Kilgore Trout, a
character used at various times by Vonnegut in several books, (at least his name is)
said by critics to be at least partly an autobiographical creation. Trout is a
poverty-stricken struggling science-fiction writer. In this book he acts as a
catalyst for the main character, Billy Pilgrim.
If science-fiction is not your thing, I would still commend
this book to you as it is one of the most important American novels of the 20th
century and Vonnegut one the vital writers.
Here are some quotes from Slaughterhouse Five:
“Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, present, and future.”
“They were adored by the Germans, who thought they were exactly what Englishmen ought to be. They made war look stylish and reasonable, and fun...
They were dressed half for battle, half for tennis or croquet.”
“Billy licked his lips, thought a while, inquired at last: "Why me?"
"That is a very Earthling question to ask, Mr. Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber?"
"Yes." Billy, in fact had a paperweight in his office which was a blob of polished amber with three lady-bugs embedded in it. "Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.”
And the most famous one of all:
"...and so it goes..."
I'm listening to the late J.J.Cale singing City Girls. You can listen HERE.
Here are some quotes from Slaughterhouse Five:
“Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, present, and future.”
“They were adored by the Germans, who thought they were exactly what Englishmen ought to be. They made war look stylish and reasonable, and fun...
They were dressed half for battle, half for tennis or croquet.”
“Billy licked his lips, thought a while, inquired at last: "Why me?"
"That is a very Earthling question to ask, Mr. Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber?"
"Yes." Billy, in fact had a paperweight in his office which was a blob of polished amber with three lady-bugs embedded in it. "Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.”
And the most famous one of all:
"...and so it goes..."
I'm listening to the late J.J.Cale singing City Girls. You can listen HERE.
12 comments:
For my generation, Slaughterhouse-Five was particularly memorable because of its timing (1969).
Just as after the millions slaughtered in WW1, people believed there would never be another international war, so they believed the same after WW2. Yet by the mid 1960s, Vietnam was a bloodbath. When I was at uni and all my male friends and relations were going into the ballot for conscription, opposition to the Vietnam War and conscription took up more of our time than lectures did. Slaughterhouse-Five seemed like the perfect anti-war book for its time.
Hels: I think it really spoke to our generation but it's essential reading for everyone even now. It comes from real experience and that gives it a quality that cannot be falsified. It's like Strawberry Fields Forever and works that all have real origins and meaning for the artist.
Hello Bazza, We had to read Vonnegut in high school, a perfect time to appreciate his sardonic humor. Slaughterhouse Five was easily his best, and although I have not heard it lately, "so it goes" was quite the catch-phrase for a while. I tried reading one of his books lately, but it did not inspire me the same--perhaps just not one of his better efforts.
--Jim
Greetings Bazza,
What an insightful post on Kurt Vonnegut. Those quotes from Slaughterhouse Five are points to ponder and so it goes....
Thank you for this. Thank you and Ginger for that kind comment on my blog.
In peace,
Gary
Hi bazza,
I first read "Slaughterhouse 5" when I was at university, and it blew me away! I'd never read anything quite like it and haven't since. I haven't read much of Vonnegut's other work, apart from "Mother Night", which, if not quite as iconic, is perhaps equally interesting.
Anyway, bazza, I'll just take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year. We are all, it seems, in thrall to the Big Day, and in Stoke, despite its reputation as a deprived area, the streets are swamped with frenzied shoppers! And so it goes.
Very Best Wishes,
David
Jim: I agree it was his best. I did also enjoy Breakfast of Champions which was my entry route to his work - many years ago!
Gary: Hello my friend; how nice to hear from you! You have been missed in the Blogosphere and it's good to see you becoming active again.
David: Thank you for your kind greetings which I reciprocate!
I would like to have studied Slaughter Five at university level. It's real depth and meaning has only become apparent to me with the passage of time.
Great post! Thanks for the insight into Vonnegut's background. I read a couple of his books, but it was many years ago, so I think perhaps a second reading is in order. It's always interesting to see how our perspective about books change with the years. Some books I loved as a young woman, I can barely tolerate now, but I have a feeling my appreciation for Vonnegut's books will have increased with time.
Susan: Yes, my appreciation has definitely changed - for the better! I was really into science-fiction from my late teens when it was lowly-regarded and never seen as proper literature. So I never thought of it as important; it was a guilty pleasure. Now writers like Margaret Atwood and Ursula K Leguin (and Vonnegut) are recognised for their worth.
I wonder if it's true that war creates great art. I think you can have creativity even in the absence of turmoil.
Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Sherry: I'm not saying that ALL art comes from that source - just that a lot does. We certainly get great art (writing, painting, music and performing etc) in the absence of turmoil.
Thank you for your good wishes which I reciprocate!
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