Themes In Slaughterhouse-Five Essay, Research Paper
Picture this: Bombshells exploding all around, destruction everywhere, civilians running for their lives… total devastation. This is exactly what Kurt Vonnegut encountered in the fire-bombing of Dresden during World War Two. Vonnegut bases his novel, Slaughterhouse-five on this event in his life. Several themes can be seen throughout the novel: The theme of war and its contrast with beauty, love and innocence, the theme that people are merely “bugs in amber”, the theme that death is inevitable and that no matter who dies, life goes on, and finally, the theme that no matter what happens, one must retain his humanity.
The first and perhaps most obvious theme is the idea of war and its contrast with beauty, love, and innocence. Vonnegut uses Slaughterhouse-five to show his readers a simple concept: that war is bad and love is good. But, the subject of love is not often brought up in the book. There are no broken romances because of the war, and none of the characters really talk about love. For example, Billy did not even seem to love his wife very much.
However, Vonnegut sees love and beauty in things other people might not see. When Billy was captured by the Germans, he did not see them as a horrible enemy, but as innocent people. “Billy looked up at the face that went with the clogs. It was the face of a blond angel, of a fifteen-year-old boy. The boy was as beautiful as Eve.” (Vonnegut 53) Vonnegut finely explains the contrast between war and love, beauty and innocence.
The second theme is very different from the first one, but it is perhaps the most often stated. Vonnegut tells his readers that people are all “bugs in amber”. This phrase is seen when Billy is captured by the Tralfamadorians. The idea can also be interpreted as man being physically stuck in this world and having no choice as to what he can or cannot do. Man can think about everything, but he does not have the power to change anything or create anything.
This idea is seen when Billy finds himself proposing to Valencia. “Billy didn’t want to marry ugly Valencia. She was one of the symptoms of his disease. He knew he was going crazy when he heard himself proposing marriage to her, when he begged her to take the diamond ring and be his companion for life.” (Vonnegut 107) Billy didn’t want to marry Valencia, but he was “stuck in amber”, so he did.
The main thing Vonnegut likely wanted to show with this theme has to do with war. When Billy discusses the problems on earth with the Tralfamadorians, they tell him that there is no way to prevent war. They tell him that to try to prevent war would be “stupid”, because there would always be wars and that mankind was “designed” that way. People may work for peace, but they are wrong and do not understand human nature. Mankind cannot stop war because we are “stuck in amber”. So man should just keep on living life as it comes. Vonnegut clearly explains this point in the novel.
Another distinct theme is that death is inevitable and that no matter who dies, life still goes on. The phrase “So it goes” appears every time someone dies, which is one hundred and three times. It enables the narration to keep going and probably helped the author see death as the Tralfamadorians do. “When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in a bad condition in the particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is `So it goes’”. (Vonnegut 27) The theme that death is inevitable is thoroughly expressed and plainly seen in the novel.
Slaughterhouse-five has many different themes, but perhaps the main thing that Vonnegut wanted to express to his readers is that no matter what happens, people must retain their humanity. In other words, man should not let himself be ruled by anyone or anything, be it a god, money, power… We should be ourselves. “I looked through the Gideon Bible in my motel room for tales of great destruction. The sun was risen upon the Earth when Lot entered into Zo-ar, I read. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Lord out of Heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. So it goes… And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.” (Vonnegut 21-22) Vonnegut wanted to show his readers the importance of retaining humanity, even in the most difficult situations.
It is fair to say that Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-five holds many important messages for its readers. One can see the theme of war in contrast with beauty, love and innocence, the theme that people are merely “bugs in amber”, the theme that death is inevitable and that no matter who dies, life always goes on and perhaps most importantly, the theme that no matter what happens in life, one must retain his humanity. All of these are obviously meaningful to the author, and he undoubtedly meant for his readers to appreciate their meaning as he did.
Bibliography
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. “Slaughterhouse-five; or a Children’s Crusade, A Duty Dance with Death”, Dell Publishing, New York 1969.
geocities/Hollywood/4953/themes.html
Другие работы по теме:
Macbeth Essay Research Paper MacbethIn the story
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Macbeth In the story of Macbeth, there are three basic themes that are seen time and time again. The themes of disorder, darkness and gffgd. They not only are used to show, or describe something, they are also there to show a repeating symbolism throughout the play.
The Pigman Essay Research Paper The Pigman
The Pigman Essay, Research Paper The Pigman Theme Essay In the novel The Pigman by Paul Zindel, many themes appear throughout the book. However, the most prominent are: older people can be friends but shouldn’t be looked at as parent figures, platonic relationships should stay strictly platonic, and the last main theme is: underage drinking and smoking are very harmful.
Scarlet Letter Themes Essay Research Paper Nathaniel
Scarlet Letter Themes Essay, Research Paper Nathaniel Hawthorne was a truly outstanding author. His detailed descriptions and imagery will surely keep people interested in reading The Scarlet Letter for years to come. In writing this book he used themes evident throughout the entirety of the novel. These themes are illustrated in what happens to the characters and how they react.
JP Getty Musuem Essay Research Paper The
JP Getty Musuem Essay, Research Paper The museum that I visited was the J. P. Getty. This museum as a whole is incredible. However, the photography exhibit did catch my eye. The first time that I went to the Getty, the Andy Warhol exhibit was up and I had a great dislike for his work. On the other hand, the exhibit by William Eggleston was awesome.
Harry Potter And Sorcerer Stone By Rollings
Essay, Research Paper In the book, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer`s Stone, Written by J.K. Rollings, I believe that courage is the most outstanding theme. J.K. Rollings does a
SlaughterhouseFive Essay Research Paper SlaughterhouseFive By Kurt
Slaughterhouse-Five Essay, Research Paper Slaughterhouse-Five By: Kurt Vonnegut Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. He came unstuck while he was in World War II and has been traveling throughout different moments of his life ever since. He has seen his birth, death, and everything in between several times.
Agony And Extacy Essay Research Paper THEMES
Agony And Extacy Essay, Research Paper THEME(S) Major ?Art surpassing life? and ?The agony and ecstasy of an artist? are the two significant themes of the novel. Michelangelo waits for
Theme In Antigone Essay Research Paper Antigone
Theme In Antigone Essay, Research Paper Antigone, by Sophocles, is a play that has three major themes. All three of these themes play a very important part in this play. The three major themes are fate, love, and pride. Oedipus had killed his father, king of Thebes, not knowing it was his father and then took over Thebes.
Grass Essay Research Paper GrassI always like
Grass Essay, Research Paper Grass I always like to watch the grass grow, in summer is pretty green, but in winter is pretty ugly, and you could see really the difference, is because of the weather hot and cold. Now the grass is ugly is like brown, but in summer is very pretty and I al
Literary Themes In All Quiet On The
Western Front Essay, Research Paper Some authors use themes to show the reader some perspective. Erich Maria Remarque s book All Quiet on the Western Front uses many themes but there are four main ones. Those four themes are the Lost Generation, futility of war, sound imagery, and the institutionalization or depersonalization of war.
Crucible 2 Essay Research Paper It is
Crucible 2 Essay, Research Paper It is more noble to die with integrity than it is to compromise one s principle in order to live. —– Danforth: I say, will you confess yourself, Goody Nurse? Rebecca: Why it is a lie, it is a lie;; how may I damn myself? I cannot, I cannot. —–Arthur Miller s, The Crucible, was a play with many themes.
Theme In A Raison In The Sun
Essay, Research Paper Theme in the A Raisin in the Sun There are many themes in A Raisin in the Sun. The this play was written by, an African American, Lorraine Hansberry. The three themes
Beowolf And Grendel Essay Research Paper Apart
Beowolf And Grendel Essay, Research Paper Apart from Wealth, Honor, and Paganistic vs. Biblical themes and motifs, character is also shown through a certain Man vs. Wild motif. This motif shows
Walden By Thoreau And Nature By Emerson
Essay, Research Paper Transcendentalism is used frequently as main topics in the stories ?Nature? and Walden. These two themes are heavily concentrated on though these two
Tom Sawyer And Threasure Islan Essay Research
Paper Write a 200-word book report comparing the themes of Tom Sawyer and Treasure Island. Comparing the themes fo Treasure Island, which is Robert Louis Stevenson’s monst famous work of fiction, and the theme of the novel Tom Sawyer, by the beloved and very well-known American author and writer, Samuel Clemens (otherwise known by his nom de flame, or pen-name, Mark Twain) is a very hard and difficult job indeed and requires a lot of careful study.
John Donne Essay Research Paper Although the
John Donne Essay, Research Paper Although the main focus of many of his poems is death, Donne’s ego seems to steal the spotlight. In Holy Sonnet 10, he manages to defend humankind against death, possibly because he feels he cannot be defeated by God. As with most themes in his work, however, he often changes his opinion, leaving a confused reader to attempt to find his real belief about death.
Hamlet 13 Essay Research Paper In Shakespeare
Hamlet 13 Essay, Research Paper In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there are many themes that appear throughout the play. During the sequence of events in the play we see that there are many obvious themes and many underlying themes. One of these themes that can be seen throughout the play is the way characters appear as one thing, and really are different in their actions at different times.
Significance Of Themes Essay Research Paper Significance
Significance Of Themes Essay, Research Paper Significance of Themes 1. God One of the main theme’s that is displayed throughout Waiting For Godot is the idea that life on earth is more or less a long and confusing wait for God. This theme magnifies the idea that the infamous Godot is actually God and that the play is built upon a structure of Christian morals.
Illiad Essay Research Paper The Illiad has
Illiad Essay, Research Paper The Illiad has by far endured the test of time due to the relation of ancient Greek themes to that of modern day. An abundance of themes from Homer?s era can clearly be observed in today?s society such as emotion, war, and honor. These themes are portrayed throughout the book in various passages, speeches, and dialogue.
Antony Analysis Essay Research Paper Antony Analysis
Antony Analysis Essay, Research Paper Antony Analysis Short Essay The beauty of William Shakespeare s writing does not lie in his actual writing, but the themes in which his plays suggest. Almost all of his plays can be connected to a higher theme, one that most people can relate. In the play, Antony and Cleopatra, the theme of manipulation runs ramped.
Cathedral 2 Essay Research Paper Cathedral The
Cathedral 2 Essay, Research Paper Cathedral The story is about a blind man who visits a married couple. He is an old friend of the wife, but the husband does not look forward to see the blind man (called Robert) because he does not know what to expect. He has never known any blind persons and his picture of these is based on a very little foundation.
What America Means To Me Essay Research
Paper What America Means To Me To me, America is like a box of crayons. If we do not use them all, the picture is not complete. In case one of those crayons becomes worn down–just sharpen it.
Dickens Biography Essay Research Paper In the
Dickens Biography Essay, Research Paper In the Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities, symbolism in used to portray the themes though out the book. Through his characters and their actions as well as their
Sasa Essay Research Paper The theme of
Sasa Essay, Research Paper The theme of a book is very important as to understanding what a novel is about as well as teaching a lesson in life. Authors sometimes write books with no theme in mind, but as the words flow from their pen, themes will emerge unknowingly. The themes are vital as to understanding what is happening within the story, and finding out the meaning.
Ivanhoe Strengths Essay Research Paper The greatest
Ivanhoe Strengths Essay, Research Paper The greatest strengths of Ivanhoe were the themes of the novel. All the characters in Ivanhoe were in some way affected by the major theme of the hatred between the
Movie The Fan Essay Research Paper Movie
Movie: The Fan Essay, Research Paper Movie: The Fan An extraordinary film that every movie ?guru’ should see is The Fan. Putting this picture on a pedestal would be the right thing to do. My counter-
Lonliness In Of Mice And Men Essay
, Research Paper Lonliness in Of Mice and Men The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinback deals with many themes that are reflective of the time period in which the novel was written. Loneliness is one of the many themes in this novel that are reflective of the time period in which the novel was written. It is shown in many of the characters in the novel.
Manifest Destiny Essay Research Paper Manifest DestinyWhat
Manifest Destiny Essay, Research Paper Manifest Destiny What does the painting Manifest Destiny represent? Does it show an image of hope, or one of despair? To answer a question like this one would have to understand what manifest destiny is.
When Legends Die Essay Research Paper Response
When Legends Die Essay, Research Paper Response to WLD Movie and Novel When the Legends die was very similar in the novel and in the motion picture. There were some differences, but most remained the same.
The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst Essay
, Research Paper The Scarlet Ibis-Analyze 3 themes. Discuss. In the short story The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, has various themes. A theme is a subject, topic or ideas that happen throughout a short story, essay, or a composition. The three themes in The Scarlet Ibis are Doodle never gives up, his older brother loves him and unforeseen things happen.
Homers Ajax Essay Research Paper The relevance
Homer`s Ajax Essay, Research Paper The relevance that the themes of tragedy could have to issues affecting the city-state even in plays whose plots had ostensibly nothing to do with life in a