Essay on "Post Modern Interpretation of Slaughterhouse Five"
Essay 4 pages (1180 words) Sources: 2
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Post-Modern Interpretation of Slaughterhouse-FiveKurt Vonnegut's novel "Slaughterhouse Five" succeeds in putting together diverse elements, ranging from literary futuristic fantasy to aspects involving human condition. As shown by Vonnegut, it is very difficult to write fiction when the main topic that one has to address is warfare. The writer is assisted by postmodernism throughout the novel, as he combines reality with fiction in order to present his readers with the horrible effects that war can have on a human being.
During a period in which people could still feel the aftermath provoked by the Second World War, postmodernism emerged and its climax materialized through books like "Slaughterhouse Five." The novel dealt a massive blow to the people supporting the Vietnam War, as it had been against everything related to fighting. Moreover, it provided significant information relating to the bombing of Dresden, as the general public did not receive much information on the subject until the time. The novel served as a reminder of the Second World War, taking people back and presenting the suffering from the wartime period. One can even go as far as claiming that "Slaughterhouse Five" is more of a wartime novel than it is a work of fiction.
Evidently, the novel is also presented under a memoir form, and, in some way, it is autobiographical. The narrator is actually the author, as Vonnegut himself mentions this when he presents the sick American soldiers to the reader: "That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book" (Vonnegut). Chapter one mainly consists out of events from Vonnegut's life, and how he came to write the book.
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Unlike the other chapters, which are tied to each other via the characters and the action present in them, Chapter One is mostly related to Vonnegut. It is almost as if it a Preface for the novel, and not a chapter that is part of it. While traditional novels usually kept a barrier between the author and the action in them, Vonnegut's book is focused on maintaining a constant connection between him and his work.
The novel comes in discordance with the standards present at the time, as it does not attempt to depict a wartime episode by glorifying it, or by attempting to describe it in the best way possible. Moreover, in a postmodernism typical manner, Vonnegut detaches the novel as much as he possibly can from the Dresden carnage. As he insures Mary O'Hare, his intention is not that of attaining fame through his book, nor is it to have famous actors playing in the potential movie adaptation.
Vonnegut's main intention is to provide narrative on a specific topic, that of the bombing of Dresden. However, throughout the novel, he refuses to do so, as he is perfectly aware that it would be bizarre for one to try and describe a massacre. The author apparently wants fiction present in the book so as to take the reader's mind from the horrors in Dresden and from the thought that everything that is war-related in the book is actually true.
By appealing to the science fiction genre, Vonnegut is actually attempting to ignore the torment in the city of Dresden. As put by Peter Barry, "the 'loss of the real' may seem to legitimize a callous indifference to suffering" (Barry). At the same time that Vonnegut wants to present historical facts, he uses postmodernism in order to challenge concepts such as "history, reality, and truth, for instance" (Barry).
In Vonnegut's opinion, a novel which depicts wartime events should… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Post Modern Interpretation of Slaughterhouse Five" Assignment:
“Main topic: Post-Modern Interpretation of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Sources:
1. *****"Slaughterhouse-Five*****" by Kurt Vonnegut
2. Chapter 4 Post Modernism from *****"Beginning Theory*****" by Peter Barry
4-5 pages, thesis driven.
You will need to pull direct quotes and/or summary from the novel *****"Slaughterhouse-Five*****" as evidence, as well as pulling paraphrases, summaries, and DIRECT QUOTES from chapter 4 Post Modernism from *****"Beginning Theory*****".
Note: The following questions should NOT be answered systematically, nor should you feel obligated to answer every question in a prompt (except you will have to integrate an understanding of post-modernism into your interpretation). Use these prompts to generate a freewrite around a general cluster of ideas. Your thesis will need to be focused, as ever.
1. Who is the author and who is the narrator? Do you think that Chapter One is strictly autobiographical? Why does Vonnegut spend so much time setting up the story? Why not just start with Chapter Two and tell Billy Pilgrim’s story? (as we’ll see that is pretty much the rest of the novel) What ideas from Chapter One can you already see expressed in Chapter Two? Connect to post-modern theory chapter.
2. Examine all the places where the narrator intrudes into his own narrative. (all the “I was theres.”) What are each of them doing? Why does the narrator do each one? How do these intrusions relate to post-modernism?
3. “Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.” (says the Tralfamadorean)…but does Vonnegut seem to believe this too, that free will is a fantasy? What do you think Vonnegut might mean by this, if he doesn’t agree with the aliens? Why would this idea be part of Billy’s imagination (if we assume the aliens are made up by Billy)? What does this fatalism have to do with Modernism? Do you think the Tralfamdorean way of perceiving time is Modernist or post-modern? Why?
4. What do you make of the descriptions of Kilgore Trout’s writing? How does his work relate to this book? Particularly look at the Gospel from Outer Space. Why do you think Kilgore Trout (as the author of much of Billy’s delusions) enters into Billy’s life? Why does Vonnegut make Trout so unpleasant? “(he) bullies, flatters and cheats little kids.” What are some other examples of his unpleasantness? What might that suggest about Vonnegut’s attitudes about authorship in general? (you might connect to first question on Chapter One) How does this connect to post-modernism?
5. Why do you think the narrator says that “there are almost no characters in this story…because most of the people in it are so sick and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters” ? Who are the actual characters in this story? Do you agree with Vonnegut’s definition of character? What are the broader implications of this definition (outside of the realm of literature). What does it mean to be a character, or not be a character, in life? Connect to post-modernism.
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