Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Review)

I have read a significant number of Vonnegut’s writings, but I somehow managed to miss “Slaughterhouse-Five” despite its great fame. I suspect my omission relates to the book’s typical summary, which tends to describe the book as a story about “Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore.” While the previous statement is factually accurate, it is a depiction that fails to express that Billy Pilgrim is a vessel to introduce the brutality of war, its effects on individuals, and perspectives on suffering and death. “Slaughterhouse” has great profundity woven into an unconventional story about a man who experiences the bombing of Dresden in World War II (and who travels through time and space to Tralfamadore).

Billy Pilgrim is an absurd character who begins traveling through time during the Battle of the Bulge. Readers are left to question whether Billy really experiences the travels or whether they are merely the “travels” of a madman. Because of Billy’s travels, readers are able to see all the highlights of Billy’s life—the good and the bad. The time travel creates a “jumbled and jangled” styling, according to the narrator, but it also ensures incredible movement in the story.

Billy responds to his experiences in such an even-keeled manner, that one cannot help but appreciate his capacity to maintain a healthy perspective. Billy effectively illustrates that many of the events in life that tend to prompt extreme emotions are better handled with composure. Admittedly, Billy’s calm demeanor stems from a fatalistic philosophy—what will be, will be—and perhaps insanity, but Vonnegut effectively presents his own world view through an interesting character with an interesting story.

I found “Slaughterhouse” to be a wonderful read, though I disagree with many of the author’s philosophical conclusions on humanism and fatalism. Nevertheless, Vonnegut’s book is well worth the time because it provokes consideration of self and worldview. It also demonstrates mastery of the English language with rich, descriptive writing. I recommend “Slaughterhouse-Five” with the warning that its atemporal and fanciful nature may be off-putting to some readers.