Free Will

     The symbol to the bug in amber and whether or not free will even exists reminded me of this Matt Damon movie, one of my favorites, The Adjustment Bureau. For those that haven't seen it, the plot is based on an all-seeing person who holds a plan for everyone at their birth. No matter what decisions they make, the head-master and his workers, called "adjusters," go in and change things so the plan works out. Thus, the whole movie calls into question whether or not free will actually is present in the world, or if everything is simply predetermined.
     The Tralfamadorians also brought this question to the forefront of the novel in chapter four. When the alien simplified the whole world by stating that "[time] simply is," he was suggesting that no matter what decisions someone makes, their fate is predetermined (86). This is obviously a debate that goes way back, and would have a lot to do with someone's religious beliefs, but it can go either way with people. In the same way, Billy is struggling with how he sees time as he goes back and forth, and the constant weeping he does is showing that he is having a very hard time with it.

Symbolism- Chapter 4

   

     Chapter four was one in which readers saw more of what Tralfamadore is and how it effects who Billy Pilgrim is. The big symbol that came out of this was the alien telling Billy that everyone is just a bug "trapped in a blob of amber" (85). He went on to explain that this was a symbol implying that there is no such thing as free will, and said that Tralfamadorians see time much differently than humans do. He said that they see time as humans "might see a stretch of the Rocky Mountains" (85). This image, as a symbol, is a very strong one. Everyone has seen those blocks of amber in which bugs are stuck. Those only move as a human picks it up and strings it along, and that is what the alien is trying to explain.
     As he moves on in his explanation, he gets even more complex when he says, "All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is," (86). This is the point in which he denies that free will ever existed at all, and suggests that everything will happen no matter if one tries to prevent it or not. This also made me go back and think about Billy Pilgrim when he knew that he was going to be abducted by aliens, but did nothing to stop it. It almost seemed as if he had heard this explanation, and no matter what he did to try and avoid it, he was going to be abducted.

Moving Along

     Another part of chapter three that stood out was how dark it was as the captured Americans were suffering through the drudgery of their punishment as prisoners of war. With Wild Bob dying and suffering through pneumonia and Weary no longer showing off or bullying, everyone's demeanor had changed to one of fear and sadness. The image of Billy Pilgrim hobbling up and down on the long journey the Germans were forcing them all to go through was a depressing story. Vonnegut painted a clear, grey picture of all these Americans slowly moving towards their demise. Readers could feel the emotions of the American soldiers, and Vonnegut allowed them to sympathize with them.
     As they continued into the train, where they barely had any food to eat or water to drink, the same old, depressing story continued. At one point the train was even in the same spot for two consecutive days. It was obvious that everyone was suffering in this situation except for the hobo that Billy had become acquainted with who said this situation "...ain't so bad," (68). However, the part that seemed the most depressing for Billy was the end when it foreshadowed even more worse events for the main character. So it goes.

Antihero- Chapter 3

 
     Chapter three moved even more into what Billy Pilgrim was like and who he is exactly. Basically, he is set up as the , but is formed more into an antihero rather than someone who will actually go out and make an impact in the conflicts surrounding him. Through being captured and a prison of war, Billy is basically in a helpless situation in which he has no choice but to follow directions. However, he never even appeared as a threat to do so as Weary did. For example, when the German officers first searched him, "...the most dangerous thing they found on his person was a two-inch pencil stub," (54). In this war atmosphere, before anything happened with the abductions and aliens, he's painted by Vonnegut as basically an "Average Joe."
     Additionally, another point in which he appears to be out of control of every situation is when he weeps. The thing that struck me eventually was that this had been taking place throughout most of his life. He wept in his house and saw a doctor in the 1960s, and when he went back in time in the 1940s, he was weeping again. This weakness that Vonnegut showed in his character was another aspect of him being an anti-hero and just an Average Joe protagonist in this story.

The Three Musketeers

     Chapter two also included an introduction to Billy Pilgrim's adventures in World War II. Pilgrim walks around with no gun and no knife, but is fortunately picked up by two scouts and an antitank gunner named Roland Weary who has suffered through a horrific childhood. Being unpopular at home, most likely because of his obsession with torture and beating people up, he brought that chip on his shoulder with him to Germany. So, when he finally found two scouts that he liked working with and who seemingly liked to work with him two, he began to call them the Three Musketeers. Then, however, Billy Pilgrim showed up.
     At that point, Pilgrim did not really seem to care about whether or not he survived the war. Nevertheless, The Three Musketeers, but mostly Weary, took it upon themselves to care of him despite Pilgrim telling them many times to keep going without him. To me, it seems as if Weary's abandonment issues are leading him keep Pilgrim by his side at all times, even if he doesn't really like him. Countless number of times, Weary would remind Pilgrim how he saved his life. For example, after the marksman missed Billy on the second bullet, he reminded him again by saying, " 'Saved your life again, you dumb bastard,' " (34).
     In the end of the chapter, as all four of them were behind German lines, readers were again given a glimpse of the abandonment issues he suffers through. Weary, who dresses a lot like Randy from A Christmas Story (see the picture below), was again ditched by the two scouts. His reaction, which was placing all of the blame on Billy Pilgrim and beating him up in the creek, showed that this obviously affected him.

Characterization- Chapter 2

     After chapter one, when Vonnegut basically explained how this story came to be, chapter two consisted of introducing it and the main character, Billy Pilgrim. At first a normal, married optometrist with two children, Pilgrim was living a life full of success in the business world after spending time in Germany during World War II. However, after suffering through a plane crash later in his life, he saw a different side of the world.
    His life completely changed after he was the only one who survived this plane crash. His wife died while he was recovering from head injuries and soon after he was abducted by aliens that he described as "two feet high, and green, and shaped like plumber's friends," (26). However, these aliens, called Tralfamadorians,  had something different in their make-up, and that was that they could see in four dimensions. Vonnegut also explained that they pitied humans for only being able to see in three. Additionally, this fourth dimension gave them a view on death that differed significantly from that of humans. As Billy Pilgrim explained, " 'When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in bad condition in that particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments," (27).
     These events shaped Pilgrim into a different person, and through the characterization provided by Vonnegut in this chapter, readers learn what makes him so different. After his plane crash, Pilgrim gave up on business and began to talk and write letters about his experience with these foreign creatures. It is obvious that they changed his outlook on life. A man who was once an average, American citizen is now becoming what some people is crazy. But is he really crazy?
     It seems as though he has gained this fourth dimension through his travels through time and episodes with the Tralfamadorians. Billy Pilgrim seems to be a step ahead of everyone when he says "So it goes" every time  something bad happens in his life. It reminds me of a quote that was hanging up in Mr. Ray's room all year by Ralph Waldo Emerson that read "To be great is to be misunderstood." At this point, Pilgrim's stories are unbelievable, but maybe he is just a step ahead of everyone else.

Rome Wasn't Built in One Day

     Chapter 1 of Slaughterhouse Five was one that was very easy to relate with. This man who had experienced so much in his past wanted to document it, and understandably so. After all, this war was one of which many people have taken an interest in, and books like these tend to be read by a large audience. However, he was struggling to put those pieces together, and that is a situation everyone goes through at one point or another. It, at first, reminded me of sitting there with an SAT prompt, just beginning to think about what my side on the persuasion will be and what I'll back up my points with. Then, the story about using crayons and different colors to outline his thoughts was what really reminded me of beginning an essay on a standardized test, because it's taking a bunch of information already rolling through head and putting it on paper in a way that can't hurt. That constant beginning, changing your mind, and starting over was very relate-able, and his ballad on page three did a great job of portraying that:

"My name is Yon Yonson,

 I work in Wisconsin, 

I work in a lumbermill there, 

The people I meet when I walk down the street,

They say, 'What's your name?'

And I say,

'My name is Yon Yonson,

I work in Wisconsin...' " (3).

     This did a great job in helping to explain the hard work that goes into writing a good book like he wanted to. The planning took a long time for him to collect all of his thoughts and put every together. Eventually, after a long period of work, he was able to do just that. After all, Rome was not built in one day, right Lebron?

Point of View- Chapter 1

     The first chapter of Slaughterhouse Five was not a typical way to begin a book as Vonnegut tried to go back and tell the story of how this whole project came to be. In doing so, he laid out an outline with crayons on the back of wall-paper that he thought would help him put the pieces together. However, all it did for him was lay out what continued to be a significant amount of information that he was struggling to turn into a book. Eventually, though, he was able to do so and form a book that showcased his opinion on anti-war. That opinion is, in turn, where the point of view is so important. His stance against fighting war will be prevalent in telling the story of past wars in which he had experience in. Additionally, in the beginning, he tells how he has already began to tell people how cruel war is and to avoid it at all costs. "I have told my sons that they are not under any circumstances to take part in massacres," (19) Vonnegut explains. He also went on to explain that he also wanted to make sure they did not even work for companies that created materials for war. From the very beginning, Vonnegut's point of view is in the forefront of the novel, and he leads the readers to believe that it will continue to play a large part in the telling of this story.