Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five (Modern Critical Interpretations)

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Summary: Billy Pilgrim's Life
Review: I thought this book was too science fiction. The planet Tralfamadore and time traveling seemed to block out any useful theme the book might have. The book changes time too frequently and in a confusing way. It is not even tied together in the end. Maybe it is just because I do not especially like science fiction. I expected Slaughterhouse-Five to have a strong anti-war theme, but it turned out to be a science fiction book.

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Summary: Wonderful book about Life,Death and Inner Courage
Review: I was amazed by the effect that this book had on me,when I read it in order to take an exam on Contemporary American Fiction. At first I thought that this would be another boring book of the Uni's library,but I was pleasantly shocked by this excellent book.It refers to matters of life and death allegorically,but the main message is clearly exposed: PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER STAY "STUCK IN TIME",stuck in their misery and desperation by the tragic events they had to go through,BUT ALWAYS SEARCH FOR THE "PLANET TRALFAMADORE" INSIDE THEIR HEARTS.This means that an inner "revolution" has to take place,so as for people to be free from the nightmares that torment them after the experience of a war or a major destruction,such as the conflagration of Dresden. LIFE GOES ON AND PEOPLE SHOULD FIND THE PLEASURE THEY DESERVE IN IT.

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Summary: More than a War Book
Review: Kurt Vonnegut masters the art of sattire and irony. He bringsthe reality of war to the reader while mixing in other elements oflife. Funny and disturbing at the same time, Vonnegut has created anovel based on the gross reality of life and death. Definetly worththe read.

Rating:
Summary: More than a War Book
Review: Kurt Vonnegut masters the art of sattire and irony. He bringsthe reality of war to the reader while mixing in other elements oflife. Funny and disturbing at the same time, Vonnegut has created anovel based on the gross reality of life and death. Definetly worththe read.

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Summary: A great and unique anti-war classic
Review: Kurt Vonnegut's book Slaughterhouse Five is a unique and interesting anti-war book.There has never been a book written quite like this one. The story doesn't unfold like most other stories. It takes place in a series of different times and places. The places are Dresden, Iliam New York, and an alien planet to mention a few. The main theme of the book is very clear even if the time and places that it takes place in isn't. That theme is war is pointless and so is life sometimes. The constant changing of time and place give the reader a very exciting and adventurous ride through the life of Billy Pilgrim. The story is told in a new way giving it a fresh life. If you ever find the time to read a Kurt Vonnegut book this should be the one. It is truly original and creative with a dark sense of humor that appeals to almost anyone.

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Summary: Being "unstuck in time" leaves his writting unstuck
Review: Slaughter House-Five, is a "slipping" account of what Vonnegut went through in his life. I use the word "slipping" because there are no"stuck" moments. This book is the best book that I have ever read. To anyone who likes sci-fi, this book is highly recomended by myself and my class mates here at Bakersfield College. Sincerely, D.F.

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Summary: So it goes
Review: Slaughterhouse 5, or Slaughterhouse five, or The Children's Crusade, also called A Duty-Dance with Death, is described by the author Kurt Vonnegut's alter-ego, Billy Pilgrim as a `fourth-generation German-American now living in easy circumstances on Cape Cod [and smoking too much], who, as an American Infantry Scout Hors De Combat, As a prisoner of war, witnessed the fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany, "The Florence of the Elbe," a long time ago, and survived to tell the tell. This is a novel somewhat in the telegraphic schizophrenic manner of tales of the planet Tralfamadore, where the flying saucers come from. Peace.' So it goes.

The book is an anti-war book, but tells us that it is about as useful being an anti-war book, as being an anti-typhoon book, meaning that some things will never change. Vonnegut tells us this by giving us the story of Billy Pilgrim, whose most important role in life was to witness the secret American British bombing of Dresden, where 135,000 died, and who spent most of his time as an American Prisoner of War, a survivor who can tell the youth of today what war is all about, by using his shellshock trauma induced time travel capabilities, given to him by the Tralfamadore aliens, to revisit the war, so that he can write a book about it, goes to see old war buddies, becoming unstuck in time, his life as a series of scenes in a non-linear fashion which ends up making linear sense, even though it did not at the time. So it goes.

Slaughterhouse 5 is a very interesting and somewhat touching series of events that finally all come home to roost in the final pages, the loss of man is the gain of man, whether we like it or not, is not the point, Darwin told us that this is what we are designed to do, Billy Pilgrim becomes an optometrist in the process, marries a woman who suddenly has a series problem, while Bill ends up in a zoo on an alien planet to produce children with Montana Wildhack, a famous movie actress, while trying to write his Dresdon story, filled with death, a plane accident where he was the only survivor following his POW term, fact from fiction, he thinks the rescue party are nazis, it sets off the time travel again. So it goes.

Vonnegut is not all down and war depressing however. His humour captured brilliantly by such antics as considering the money tree that grew hundred dollar bills, gems and bank bonds, feeding off the people who met the quicksand by its base, or a young Jesus who once built a cross with his father so the Romans could use it to do something to a protestor that they didn't like. When the wit is there it scores in aces. You have never read the likes of such clowning around before, although compared to Joseph Heller's Catch 22, this one is more personal, less satirical, more direct and exposes that horrible World War II bombing of Dresden. In 1941 Charles Portal, A British Air Staff officer, put forward the idea that entire cities and towns should be bombed. Air Marshall Arthur Harris agreed in February 1942. It was napalmed in 1945. Vonnegut made it very public in this 1969 novel. It was revealed by the historian David Irving in 1963 in his publication, "The Destruction of Dresdon". So it goes.

Billy spends the final days of his life out across New York looking to tell a radio show his story, ends up finding a world war II sci-fi book author's book as window dressing, attempts to buy the book as a memory keepsake because he met the author and knew the war buddy who introduced him to the books, and is nearly arrested, and or committed, old age coupled with the dying man's last bastion of whatever his mind can make of it all, gives us much to ponder in death, by remembering our lives, Pilgrim travels in his memory and says that death is living ones memories over and over again... so best be good... and enjoy life. So it goes.

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Summary: The Greatest Satirist Author of All Time
Review: Slaughterhouse-Five is a classic. A truly great piece of work. Mr. Vonnegut took me for the ride of my life. While reading the book I laughed, I cried, and most of all I totally understood it,s point. War is bad, stay away from it. The main character Billy Pilgrim is one of those classic characters that you will never forget. A must read. You have to buy it, now.

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Summary: challenging, but that's why it rocks
Review: Slaughterhouse-Five is not simply an "anti-war novel," but an intricate masterpiece that not only shows the horrors of war and its effects, but is also a reflection of reality on its various levels. In order to fully grasp every detail's significance this novel should be read various times. It's fun to re-read a book and get something new out of it that first time readers would inevitably miss, due to the book's complex nature. Although it seems to be a collage of random paragraphs at first, if you read closely enough you can pick out completely logical associations that a man like Billy would make. It's a quick read packed with Vonnegut's dry humor and war memories. I loved it!!!

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Summary: I love Vonnegut but this was a tough read.
Review: The time jumps are dizzying. Still I always remember Vonnegut characters vividly, I love strange characters.