The Final Post of the Summer. So it goes.

For my final post for the summer, I thought I'd try to make it a little fancier and add another Youtube video. This song, "Keep Holding On" but Avril Lavinge, really was ringing in my head as I finished the book. Billy Pilgrim went through so much in his lifetime, and all he was trying to do was to "keep holding on" to make it through all of his struggles. Another part in the song, where she sings, "There's nothing you can say, nothing you can do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth," reminded me of the idea that he doesn't believe in free will. In the end, for him, there was nothing he could do to out-run his fate, a depressing one at that. If only he could have forced himself to make some decisions to change all of the bad events that happened in his life. Oh well, so it goes.

Motif- Chapter 10

So, for the 10th and final chapter, I decided to try and tackle the whole "So it goes.." repetition that Vonnegut used throughout the novel. At first, I thought of it as sort of a coping device that Billy Pilgrim used to accept death. Now, however, I see it as something he used to try and help explain death. Whether or not this is a way to question his insanity is a death in itself, but I genuinely believe that this is what he thought about death. Billy Pilgrim thought that death was just one moment in time, and that there were many, many more when that person was alive and happy. The "So it goes.." it merely something he said to remind himself of that. 

Serenity Prayer

This prayer always reminds me of Mrs. Lauck and how often she says it in class, and I really like it. It seemed to be a way for Billy Pilgrim to find some comfort in that he had something to keep him going inside of his head, whether it was this or time travel. Prayer always helps in a time of need, and this one, a recurring piece in the book, seemed to do that for Billy.

Flashback- Chapter 9

Chapter nine was full of flashbacks from earlier in the book. Some included Wild Bob saying, " 'If you're ever in Cody, Wyoming..." (188), and when Billy flashed back to telling the Three Musketeers to go on without him. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that he was still recovering from the airplane crash and trying to find a way to cope with it, so he is mentally traveling through time again. This was also a chapter in which I started to figure out that the mental time travel was merely a coping device. He was not actually traveling through time as he did not have that ability, but his memories were so close to him that he could relive everything.

I Go Back

In chapter eight, Billy Pilgrim's struggle with the four men singing reminded me of a particular song that I heard growing up. "I Go Back" by Kenny Chesney is a song where he talks about how specific songs and music can make someone nostalgic or subconsciously remind them of something. In the beginning of this music video, he has voices in his head screaming at him simply because he heard a song that raddled his memory. This seems to be exactly what Billy was going through as he listened to the quartet. Also, a very important part of the song is when Chesney says that "We all have a song that somehow stamps our lives, takes us to another place in time." In addition to that, he obviously repeats the phrase, "Everytime I hear that song, I go back." This relates very well to Billy in that the singing of the quartet in somehow sparking his memory and he is struggling with it.

Internal Conflict- Chapter 8

The part of this chapter that stood out the most was the internal conflict that Billy faced whenever the quartet began singing. As Vonnegut explained, "The barbershop quartet sang again. Billy was emotionally racked again," (175). The effect that these four men had on him was indescribable. Suddenly, he began going through time in his minds as an illusion of his son in the bathroom showed up. For some reason, this group of four men singing had an effect on him and he didn't understand it. Valencia even commented that he looked like he had seen a ghost. Nevertheless, it was obvious that this was shaking him, and he could not figure it out.

Time Travel

With all of the time travel in chapter seven, I was reminded of an old series I used to read growing up about a kid who could travel back in time with baseball cards. He would also try to go back and change history, but was usually unsuccessful. When thinking about how these two relate, and this chapter in particular, it posed the question of whether or not history could actually be changed if time travel was real. While it sounds really "science-fictiony," it really got me thinking. Why couldn't Billy stop himself from getting on that plane with his father in-law? He knew it was going to crash. If free will really does not exist, then I understand. However, he had the option to not by the ticket or to go back and fake being sick. These things can change. It was a very important question involving the book that could never really be answered.

Motivation- Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is the one where I really began to question Billy Pilgrim's insanity. As he begins his trip to the optometry conference with his father in-law, he knows that the plane is about to get one will crash. This is where the insanity really stands out. It was hard to tell what his motivation was to get on the plane, because all he said was that he "didn't want to make a fool of himself," (154). Was getting on a plane that he knew was going to crash not making a fool of himself? This is where the idea of not having free will gets confusing. It seems that proving free will to be real is as easy as him walking out of the airport and going home. This would, in turn, prevent him from being on an air plane crash and all the "planned" events would change. The whole time I was reading this part, I just wanted to shake him and talk him out of getting on that plane. Oh well, so it goes.

Daily Consistency

Chapter six's look at the future death of Billy Pilgrim gave even more insight into what was playing into his thought process. When he came out and said that he "will die, ha[s] died, and always will die on February thirteenth, 1976," (141), it is showing that he can live his life as free as he wants. This is ironic, though, because he doesn't believe in free will. This thought process began to make me wonder in why he even saw a point in moving on with life. If he knew what was going to happen on a day-by-day basis, what was the point of even living anymore? This man knew what he was going to do every morning when he woke up. Thinking about how this would effect my life, I definitely wouldn't like it. He has to live through all of the bad days a second, third, and fourth time over. It would get old, and would not be an enjoyable life to live. Basically, all of this made me question whether life would be worth living if we were not given the privilege of free will.

Dynamic Character- Chapter 6

Starting in last chapter, readers really began to see Billy Pilgrim's character and personality change. In the way he has began to open up about his knowledge of time, he is becoming someone who wants to change the world rather than just someone who merely wants to survive the war and go home. At this point, he isn't even scared when Lazzaro begins to threaten him. This is most likely because the readers learned that "He [Billy] has seen his own death many times" (141). He described his death as someone shooting him in 1976 when he is giving a huge speech (again, more dynamic change where he is becoming confident) in Chicago at, presumably, Wrigley Field. These changes are allowing him to become more comfortable in whatever time is he currently living in, and giving him the ability to live stress-free in the war, not afraid of death.

Situational Irony- Chapter 5

In chapter 5, the irony comes when Billy Pilgrim is treated to a play, Cinderella. During the play, Billy begins to laugh uncontrollably into what even turns into a shriek. From there, he was taken into a mental hospital where he met with Edgar Derby, who was described by Billy on page 92 as "doomed." This is where the situational irony comes into play. Derby kept comforting Billy, but Billy was struggling with it because he knew how Derby was going to die. Eventually, he would be lined up in front of a firing squad and shot to death. There was nothing that Billy could do to stop this though, so he decided to live with it. After all, he was convinced that there is no such thing as free will and no event in time can be stopped.

Not another movie comparison

"This is your plan, and we are determined to keep it that way."

Chapter 5 also gave readers another look into what the Trafalmadorians are trying to explain to their newest attraction: Billy Pilgrim. This time, however, he decides to share his theories with the rest of the world. These new actions are starting to cause people to question his sanity, and the events that unfolded reminded me even more of the Adjustment Movie, which I have already talked about. Much like the quote below the video, this movie trailer is full of quotes that would be similar to what these aliens are preaching. Another is when one of these people say "You can't outrun your fate." These two works of literature are very similar in that they compare the idea of free will and downplay its mere existence.