Alternative Discourse in Slaughterhouse 5

Slaughterhouse Five is by no means written in a traditional way. There are multiple aspects of Vonnegut’s novel that would fall under the category of “alternative discourse.” I think that “Time Magazine’s” description of Vonnegut’s writing style is most excellent when they say that “Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer…a zany but moral mad scientist.” This illustrates Vonnegut and his discourse perfectly. He uses a different and new way of getting his point across, but he does, however, get his point across and does so beautifully.

Vonnegut’s point is this: Be kind, don’t hurt. His story revolves around Billy Pilgrim who is a World War II veteran and an obstetrician. Billy has come “unstuck” in time. Meaning he finds himself traveling throughout different points within his own life uncontrollably. The majority of the book tak

here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why” (Vonnegut 77).

messages aren’t the only characteristics of the novel that fall under the category of “alternative discourse.” The entire piecing together of the story is unique like no other.

It is as if Vonnegut has taken this template as a model for Slaughterhouse Five, down to the rows of asterisks separating short clumps of text. He attempts to create his own story in the Tralfamadorian manner by taking multiple examples of time and bundling them together in no particular

Generally, when a person hears “aliens” they normally think to themselves: “Oh, I see. Another trashy science fiction novel,” but this is where Vonnegut is different. He uses a somewhat silly idea to translate a very serious message. Included in Tralfamadore and the Tralfamadorians is a sub-theme - fatalism. Fatalism is the idea that all events are predetermined by fate and are therefore unable to be changed by human beings. The Tralfamadorians look like plungers with a hand on top with an eye in the palm of the hand. Also, they basically define fatalism. They see the fourth dimension, which allows them to travel to different points in their lives, much like Billy Pilgrim. The one difference is that they can control where and when they go, Billy cannot. Their lives are mapped out in front of them like a mountain range. They can see the future, past, and present at all times and have no control over how their lives unfold. They teach Billy how this is true for humans as well. After being asked “Why me?” by Billy, one Tralfamadorian replies:

The story does not follow a chronological order whatsoever. Because of Billy’s specific time travel affliction, the book follows him around in his travels. There is no present, there are no flashbacks or even predictions of the future; simply the current chunk of time that is being looked at. Like it was quoted above, the “moment simply is.…Here we are…stuck in the amber of this moment” (Vonnegut 77). Basically, in reading this book, the reader finds himself being dragged around, back and forth, up and down, out and through Billy Pilgrim’s life like the tassel on a four-year-o

Some topics in this essay:
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