... parents" class after learning a bit of idealism at his public school. This idealism was often reflected in his writings. His experiences, it seems have always helped shape his style and themes of writing, especially important was his life growing up as a boy in Indianapolis. Revisiting his birthplace in 1986, Kurt Jr. stated, "All my jokes are in Indianapolis. All my attitudes ... finally, Vonnegut seems pre-occupied with genuine human question, about war, peace, technology, and human happiness. He is even bitterly anti-machine, anti-technology, and anti-science. (7) These first two nov...

• Word Count: 1358
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of important relationships, experienced schizophrenic illusions of grandeur brought on by loneliness, and sought artificial relationships to fill the void, surface in recurring themes: forced isolation of characters, allusions to schizophrenic tendencies, and one's yearning for relationships, real or otherwise. At the age of fourteen, ... 33). Kilgore Trout, a character from Breakfast of Champions and many other works by Vonnegut, seems much like Vonnegut in this regard. He is a science fiction writer who essentially has no one. He has no family and is totally alone in the world. Trout is...

• Word Count: 2120
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School