The Theme Of War In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five

Some may believe that war is a necessity to a countries well-being. However, these people do not seem to take the negative aspects of war into consideration. In the novel Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, Vonnegut illustrates that war is something pointless and results in nothing but negativity. There are many quotes used in the novel to try and prove his point.
Throughout the novel, Vonnegut explains to his readers the negativity of war through the experiences of his many characters. For example; “I have told my sons that they are under no circumstances to take part in massacres, and that the news of massacres of enemies is not to fill them with satisfaction or glee” (24). This quote illustrates that Vonnegut’s past experiences would
For example, “Billy is spastic in time, has no control over where he is going next, and the trips aren't necessarily fun. He is in a constant state of stage fright, he says, because he never knows what part of his life he is going to have to act in next” (29). This quote illustrates that Billy has lost control over the most foundational constant we come to expect in life, which is time. He also feels phony in living his own life. This lack of caring about who he is makes Billy a non-familiar hero for a novel. For instance, “The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist” (33-34). Even if it is true that death is only brief moment in a person’s life, it draws us to ask the question if we can or can’t cry at funerals. The time we spent with the specific person that passed away will determine if we can or can’t cry at their funeral. Every great moment is eternal in Billy’s life. Lastly, this was when Billy first came unstuck in time. His attention began to swing grandly through the full arc of his life, passing into death, which was violet light. There wasn't anybody else there, or anything. There was just violet light—and a hum” (54). Billy is faced with the probability of his own death for the first time. He can see his life literally flashing before his own eyes. The novel takes the idea of flashbacks that are traumatic and run with it. It all depended on how Billy used his time to make himself a better person and try his best to move on from this huge incident that has played a huge role in his