... Breakfast of Champions through the stories of the main character, the absurdly-named writer of the absurd, Kilgore Trout. We are never actively shown Trout's thoughts in the book, but the reader is told many of his irreverent science fiction tales, where absurdities on far-flung Alien planets parallel American life and act as parables involving modern society. For example, in a tale about ... , middle and end and lessons to be learned are not applicable to real life. None of the characters in the novel meet until the final few pages (in which Vonnegut cathartically frees them from the bo...

• Word Count: 4213
• Approx Pages: 17

... to the 1950's than to World War II. Catch-22 is set in World War II; in many ways, it serves as an outlet for Heller's own experiences in the war. (Kiley, p.103) After the war, soldiers returned home to a country that did not want to hear about their experiences. Most felt stifled because they feared how others might react to the gruesomeness of the war ... . People die stupidly, from stupid causes, in stupid situations, by stupid mistakes. It is almost laughable except that it is not at all funny. This is what Heller gets across in some 400 pages of death, despair, and otherwise pointle...

• Word Count: 1131
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School