Violence And Death In Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five

In the novel Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut expresses how war is a never-ending cycle of violence and death. Billy Pilgrim is the main character in the book in which the reader experiences, with Billy, about his past, present, and future as the story goes. Vonnegut explore the effects of war on the individual in fictionalized accounts of their war experiences in order to move beyond war, violence, mythology, and platitude.
Billy suffered the cold, gain fame, and knew he was going to die soon in his life, but life kept making sure Billy lived until the end. Weary “had been saving Billy’s life for days, cursing him, kicking him, slapping him, making him move. It was absolutely necessary that cruelty be used, because Billy… wanted to quit” (Vonnegut