The quarter is ending and my work ethic is dwindling but I still have just about enough to churn out one final blog post before I take some time off for a bit of rest and relaxation.
Slaughterhouse Five went by remarkably fast and it is, without a doubt, my favorite out of all three of the books that we've read so far. I explained most of the reasons why in my last post: Vonnegut's great sense of somewhat black humor and also because I just utterly detested reading Mumbo Jumbo. Sorry Ishmael Reed.
Anyway, before I give my final thoughts on Slaughterhouse Five, I'd like to add on a few parts that I found particularly humorous. On page 93, Vonnegut describes Billy watching the movie about World War II backwards and everything happening is reverse. I just could not stop laughing while reading that section. I'm not even sure why because that scene didn't seem to have much significance to the plot line (he was about to be abducted by our buddies, the Tralfamadorians) and was just sort of like a random blurb about Billy's life. I guess it was his descriptions "It was their business to put them in the ground, to hide them cleverly, so that they may never hurt anybody ever again" (94). Another moment was his description of Jesus and his crucifixion: "Make absolutely certain he isn't well connected." I had never thought of that particular story that way, but now that he said that, I'm never going to be able to forget it.
Earlier this week, we were asked to write about the use of science fiction and whether or not it detracted from his "war novel" type book. I felt like the use of science fiction was actually incredibly helpful. You know how sometimes the best way to get your point across is not by berating an audience and pounding a few facts into their minds again and again but rather by humor and lighthearted guidance? Same idea. Vonnegut did not set out to write a book designed to be a movie with actors played by John Wayne or Frank Sinatra, and what better way to detract from the "war novel" idea than with aliens, flying saucers, and constant references to fictional science fiction novels? Some of the stories didn't seem to make much sense in the context and others seemed to ask questions that were left for the reader to answer--namely, The Gutless Wonder. What was Vonnegut satirizing about society when he said that the people could only accept the robot once he got over his horrendous halitosis, regardless of the fact that he had been constantly bombing cities with zero remorse? Makes you wonder...
Basically, I really liked this book. Hopefully, the upcoming ones with be just as interesting, if not more so, to read!
I agree that the backwards-war-movie sequence is a memorable and generally awesome part of the book, and while it is funny, it's also a rather beautiful/idealistic image of how bending time (or narrative direction) can create a powerful metaphor: there's something so moving about the image of bombs being retracted from explosions back into planes that transport them back to the US to be dismantled, the dangerous elements extracted, and then buried forever. And the reverse narrative goes all the way back to Eden, so there's a powerful wish for "starting over" implied here. It's one of the most memorable parts of the book to me, and one that has a really serious and quite moving message at its heart.
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