“Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.” - Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse Five is not a normal book. Following the life events of Billy Pilgrim, from his experience in WWII and as an optometrist, to his childhood and alien abduction, the book can be seen as a time travel story. Instead of following a linear perspective, many parts of the book feel as though they are connected by spaghetti strings, all stories intertwined in one mess. The beginning and the end of the story are events that occur in the middle of Pilgrim’s life, which Vonnegut spoils in his own account in the first chapter.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, even though I still had to watch Crash Course videos to further understand the book. Although I was rereading the book from seventh grade, I was initially surprised by the simple language that Vonnegut wrote in and it made the book easy to understand. Yet, what I found so fascinating about Vonnegut was that his simplicity separated Pilgrim from the devastating atrocities that occurred in the Dresden firebombing. The event where Pilgrim cried for the first time when seeing the harmed was a bit surprising, despite the fact that Pilgrim was forced to transport several dead bodies after the bombing.
Additionally, the separation from these catastrophic events are noted in the first and last chapters, which directly comes from Vonnegut’s perspective. Vonnegut, like Pilgrim, dealt with the struggles as a prisoner and the effects of the Dresden bombings; thus, he utilized the fictional character of Billy Pilgrim to speak for his experience regarding the events in the war. Even though it is difficult, I believe it is an accurate portrayal of how soldiers and survivors see the events, without certain clarity.
In a similar vein, the parallels between the alien abduction and the German abduction of Pilgrim details serves as Pilgrim’s own interpretation and understanding of the event. Although Pilgrim's capture by the Germans to a slaughterhouse was one that degraded his state of living, Pilgrim interprets his abduction by the aliens as a positive one, as Pilgrim was seen as the ideal specimen within the zoo. Pilgrim tries to interpret the events that he has gone through in simplifying terms.
Overall, I would recommend the book to those who enjoy black comedy and war novels. However, I would say that this book is a hit-or-miss: some people may view it more positively or negatively. Yet, I do believe Slaughterhouse 5 is a classic and I hope to read more Vonnegut books in the future.
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