The firebombing on Dresden was one of the worst attacks during World War II. Billy Pilgrim, the main character in Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, experiences this firebombing first hand. Billy was my favorite character in the story because everything abnormal happened to him yet he seemed so innocent. Billy was truly my favorite character when I found out the clothes he was wearing were an "azure toga and silver shoes". Billy had some of the worst stuff happen to him but he survived and moved on.
The character that I disliked the most was Paul Lazzaro. Though he was weak and disgusting he had a twisted mind. The description of what he had done to the dog seemed unreal. How could I possibly like a character who whoever he has a scuffle with he later punishes.
My favorite part of the story was when Billy was on Tralfamadore. Billy seemed to be in charge there and he had a beautiful mate. All the Tralfamadorians viewed Billy as a great creature, almost like he was a god. Billy's life was almost perfect there much unlike on earth. This part of the story broke away in a totally different direction than the war. Vonnegut could have written a whole story just about Billy's experiences on Tralfamadore.
In my opinion, Vonnegut is a genius writer. The way that he can change from one scene to the next just amazes me. He was trying to write the anti-war book but then just to increase the excitement he added all the details about he plane crash, Tralfamadore, and Kilgore Trout. It seemed that each one of the little stories could possible be made into a story of their own. .
The book is very calm and quite comical up to the firebombing of Dresden. This is where the horror, which Vonnegut is trying to express, truly comes out. He describes the destruction beautifully, and he even goes into the detail about the horses. This part of the book has the most emotional impact in the entire book. First your reading about Tralfamadore and then instantly you are hit with the firebombing which finally makes you realize what the book is about.