Skyler Brennan

Sean Hackney
February 18, 2015
Rhetoric 102
The Relevance of a 1969 Novel
In Christopher Lehmann-Haupts review, Slaughterhouse-Five, Or the Childrens
Crusade, he touches base on a few main topics in Kurt Vonneguts novel. In this 1969 review,
Lehmann-Haupt describes the novel as probably the most important thing to ever happen
(Lehmann-Haupt) to Vonnegut as his writing centered on a highly imaginative, often funny,
nearly psychedelic story.(Lehmann-Haupt). He also describes his high appreciation for the
novel by praising the science-fiction content and fluidity of the writing. While I agree with
Lehmann-Haupt that Slaughterhouse-Five effectively portrays Billys view of the bombing of
Dresden while representing Vonneguts quirky style of writing, I maintain that the novel can be
deeply significant to modern times and with a lesson for every reader to gain.
One major theme, other than a novel being about the bombing of Dresden, is the idea of
anti-war. In the book, a friend of Billys, Mary OHare, says [y]oull pretend you were men
instead of babies, and youll be played in the movies by glamorous, war-loving, dirty old men.
And war will just look wonderful, so well have a lot more of them (18). Vonnegut is portraying
that soldiers were just babies, unsure of what to do and nave, and that wars will just keep
happening for glorification. But his novel actually inquires that war is evil, and there is no glory.
Vonnegut also creates the ideal character to represent ways in which the world should not act.
David L. Vanderwerkens academic article Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five at Forty: Billy
Pilgrim- Even More a Man of Our Times describes that Billys indifference and apathy toward
others are clearly illustrated time and again (48). Billy uses the idea of innocence, as
Vanderwerken describes as concentrate on the good times and ignore the bad (48) to forget
about the war. By doing this, Billy is trying to erase the issue and act like it isnt happening. This
character is the image of war, ignorant. They do nothing to change but simply ignore the
problem.
Another idea is that of Cognitive Dissonance. Because of his PTSD after the war, Billy
copes with the ideas of a fictional world, Tralfamadore. In this world, small aliens hold the
beliefs that we are all trapped in amber (97), or predestination. That no matter what earthlings
do, everything is set in stone. The past, present, and future cannot be changed. Billy uses these
ideas to reason with himself, to explain to himself why Dresden was bombed, and that he
couldnt make a difference. That everything was predetermined, releasing anyone from
responsibilities or obligations. Another belief that ties in with the Tralfamadorians is divine
Christianity. It is first introduced in the novel when Billy sees the war backwards, and time
backwards, until [e]verybody turned into a baby, and all humanity conspired biologically to

produce two perfect people named Adam and Eve (95). The idea is that from the story Adam
and Eve, everyone is born in sin. And that war is inevitable, no matter if someone tries to change
it or not. As Vanderwerken puts it: Both viewpoints deny free will; humanity is powerless to
shape events (47).
While Billy believes these theories, he also has another viewpoint that contradicts the
idea of predestination, humanistic Christianity. Vanderwerken describes it as a humanly
centered Christianity in which Jesus is a nobody (94), a bum (95), a man (47). In which case
means that Billy believes Jesus is just a man, making everyone children of God. With everyone
being a child of God, they escape the idea that everyone is born in sin, and people being kind to
each other, can change the outcome of events. As it has also shown up many times in the bookin Billys office and on Montana Wildhacks necklace- the Serenity Prayer proves to be a
challenging belief of Billys. It goes God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to always tell the difference. Vonnegut
also adds the comment, [a]mong the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the
present, and the future (77). Bill lacks wisdom to tell the difference, and as a character,
doesnt portray the courage to step forward and change.
Among the many ideas of Slaughterhouse-Five, the main purpose of Kurt Vonneguts
novel was to be a relevance in todays society. In this relevance, Billy Pilgrim represents a
modern day citizen who ignores and lacks the wisdom and courage to change future outcomes.
Vonnegut expresses the need for a world to share and be kind, that war is not a subject to gloat
and glorify, and that someday the saving idea of humanistic Christianity can someday be
achieved.