When the reader is first introduced to Billy Pilgrim he

“Poo-tee-weet?” These are the final words or rather the final chirps of Slaughterhouse Five. They are the coos of a bird after the destruction of Dresden. The bird asks a simple question, why? The bird wishes to know the point of the senseless destruction of lives. To this Billy has no answer; time itself cannot reveal the mysteries for need of destruction and loss of life. This question has no answer and explains how Billy can continue to live even after his death. Billy is an immortal, and lives in his heavenly paradise. The element of time becomes a tool for Billy, and helps him survive as well as understand the things around him.

seems unwilling to fight the obstacles that time throws to him. Billy Pilgrim does not attempt to make his own decisions and goes wherever his feet take him. At first this seems like foolishness and almost gets him killed. “Billy stood there politely, giving the marksman another chance. It was his addled understanding of the rules of warfare that the marksman should be given a second shot.” (Vonnegut 42) This reflects Billy’s philosophy throughout the novel. He refuses to fight back because he no longer believes in free will. He has seen already seen his future and is unafraid of death. To Billy no one dies forever, they are still alive in essence, in the past. Billy gains this strange insight on the mechanics of time when he is captured by the Tralfamadorians. These space creatures exist as fourth dimensional beings and see time all at once. “All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is.”(Vonnegut 109) This implies that sentient creatures have no free will. Everything has already been set, there are choices but the path has already been determined. This is why Billy never attempts to fight for his survival. When he is first introduced to these fourth dimensional creatures he ask a simple question, Why me? “Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber? Here we are, M

Some topics in this essay:
Billy Pilgrim, Lastly Billy, Adam Eve, Slaughterhouse Five, Billy…The Bombers, Goes Liquid, Billy Tralfamadorians, Montana Wildhack, Dresden Firestorm, Derby Billy’s, adam eve, throughout novel, billy pilgrim, slaughterhouse five, death billy, free form structure, poor edgar, edgar derby, billy comes, billy begins, dresden firestorm, poor edgar derby, repeated throughout novel, philosophy throughout novel, world war ii,