... 23 years after the war for Vonnegut to publish his novel? The answer to that question lies within the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim. Billy becomes desensitized towards death, with the common phrase used within the novel, "So it goes," summarizing his emotions. Throughout the novel, ... February 23 1945, The Bombing of Dresden. Vonnegut's pain and suffering from witnessing the slaughter of thousands, is explained through the main character, Billy Pilgrim. In fact, the the most substantial similarity between Vonnegut and Pilgrim is their inability to cope with the bombing. There i...

• Word Count: 1395
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... named after) with other American prisoners of war. He shows, through relating his own personal experiences, the experiences of the fictional protagonist Billy Pilgrim and the supporting characters, that the psychological effects of war on the individual can be devastating. When human beings undergo large levels ... devices - mental barriers to assist them in dealing with their problems. The day after the bombing of Dresden, the protagonist of Slaughterhouse Five, Billy Pilgrim, emerges from a meat locker in which American prisoners of war were kept, and observes "The sky was black with sm...

• Word Count: 2002
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... wealth to the already rich family. She believes her father has gone crazy after his plane crash, head injury, and brain surgery. Robert - Billy and Valencia's son. He joins the Green Berets and fights in Vietnam. Montana Wildhack - an American star of pornographic films. She is captured by ... aliens and brought to Tralfamadore to be Billy's mate in the zoo. Trafalmadorians - aliens who are able to perceive things in 4 dimensions. The idea of being able to perceive the past ... Trout - An unsuccessful science-fiction writer who lives in Ilium and makes his living as a circulation man fo...

• Word Count: 1657
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... , Vonnegut wrote a tale of the trials and tribulations resulting from the complete and utter destruction of Dresden during World War II. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut develops the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim along with utilizing science fiction and satire to demonstrate the destructiveness of war. Vonnegut uses satire and fiction to ironically display the destructiveness of war. In Slaughterhouse-Five, " ... is that people are discouraged from being characters" (Vonnegut 140-141). According to Festa, " the proper response to a meaningless, cruel, and apparently doomed world is total res...

• Word Count: 1339
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... say, there is no plot or chronological succession to this story. Every page in the book can bring you to a different time or circumstance in Billy's life. Vonnegut uses extensive irony, imagery, personification, and a little singing bird throughout the book to connect these seemingly unrelated events. There is a ... fictitious element to this book - the idea of time travel. Billy jumps through time, experiencing various events of his life completely out of order. While he is on the alien planet of Tralfamadore, he is taught ... tries to contribute to humanity's vision by attempting to...

• Word Count: 1466
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School