The Englishmen

The Englishmen were treated very well for prisons of war. They had food tobacco and milk, they put on plays and fixed up there living corders. They played game and worked out. The men had enough food to have muscle mass and they were healthy the men that traveled with Billy were all amazed by the life that the Englishmen had. There was something in Billy's voice that wondered how these men were able to do this.

" They were adored by the Germans, who thought they were exactly what Englishmen ought to be.(pg.94)"

I think that the Germanys like the Englishmen because they had never meant such sophistication and maybe wanted to be more like them. I could tell that Billy was glad to be feed and provided with things to clean him self up. But i wonder if the question, Why them?, was in his head. Do u thing this is a part of the book that is really. If not why do you think he wrote it?

Free Will

      In the end of chapter four, one of the Tralfamadorian was talking to Billy about this thing we call free will. Billy seems baffled that there is no other talk about free will. On earth Billy thought there was free will but is starting to wondering about free will and what it really meant.

"I would n't have any idea what was meant by 'free will'. I've visited thirty-one inhabited plants in the universe, and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on earth is there any talk of free will.(pg.86)"

Billy doesn't go into this any further but I think he wants to believe in free will so everything that has happen to him seems more important. So do u thing that as human we have free will, or are most of your decision swayed by other people. What is free will, and why does it not exist in any other plant?

The Irony of Montana's Locket

At the end of Chapter Nine, we see Ms. Wildhack's locket, with an inscription on the front. The words on the locket are ones that go against what the Talfamadorians, in the sense of being able to control the future.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom always to tell the difference" (p.209).

The Tralfamadorians see fate as the only way of life, and this locket is especially ironic when both her and Billy are imprisoned on Tralmadore. As humans it is often hard to live a life with no control, but they seem to be content with seeing their death and looking at life as a predetermined state. Montana's locket is the antithesis of this belief, but I doubt that she could change her mind and faith in this idea of control. Do you beleive in the idea of a predetermined life?

Billy's Stance on War

In Chapter Five and onward, we see Billy's son Robert become a Green Beret. Billy's son and his accomplishment are mentioned many times in these chapters. Even though Billy experienced tragedy and emotional trauma during the war, he still seems to support his son making the decision to join the military.

"One result of this act would be the birth of Robert Pilgrim, who would become a problem in high school, but would then straighten out as a member of the famous Green Berets" (p.118).

Even after experiencing the horrors of war, Billy still seems to support his son's decision. Perhaps Billy is happy with Robert simply because he is a more successful member of the military than he was. Billy was weak and incompetent throughout his experience, and to see his son stonger and a better soldier than he was must make Billy proud. If your child decided to join the military after you experience war, would you support them?

Living Without Judgement

In Chapter 5, Billy in imprisoned at a zoo in Tralfamadore. While he has no way to escape and has no human contact, he still appears to be happy. He is living in a world where the beings have no context of beauty and physical standards. Billy is okay with being naked in front of the aliens, because they assume that he is average, there is no context for his appearance.

"Most Tralfamadorians had no way of knowing Billy's body and face were not beautiful. They supposed that he was a splendid specimen. This had a pleasant effect on Billy, who began to enjoy his body for the first time." (p.113)

Billy clearly is happy with his body because he know that no one is judging him. The Tralfamadorians don't know a healthy individual from an unhealthy one, therefore Billy knows that he cannot be compared to standards. Even in front of a huge group, Billy feels comfortable. If you where in that situation, would you be comfortable as well?

Kurt Vonnegut: A pacifist?

In Chapter Four, we see Billy watch a movie backwards, because he is going backwards in time. The movie is about American bombers in WWII. The narrator describes the bombs being absorbed into planes, then going back to the US, where they are dismantled and components are returned to the earth. This passage is amusing, but it also shows Vonnegut's attitude to war.

"When the bombers go back to their base, the steel cylinders were taken from their racks and shipped back to the United States of America....The minerals were then shipped to specialists in remote areas. It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody ever again" (p.74,75).

I think that this passage shows the author's stance on war. After witnessing the horrors in Dresden, Vonnegut was clearly appalled and forever changed, and this passage is one of the first times where we clearly see his ideas about war. The last sentence of the passage most clearly shows Vonnegut's hatred and pacifist attitude towards the use of weapons He clearly thinks that the use of bombs on anyone is shameful, as he wishes "they would never hurt anyone ever again" (p.75). While Vonnegut has demonstrated his feeling on the use of weapons, do you think that he is a full on pacifist? If so, why?

Beauty in War

In Chapter 3 we also see Billy Pilgrim getting arrested by German soldiers. As he and his comrade are taken into custody, he sees a young German boy. The boy is one of extreme beauty, and Billy notes his presence and his angel-like appearance. 

"Billy looked up at the face that went with the clogs. It was the face of a blond angel, of a fifteen-year-old boy. The boy was as beautiful as Eve"(53)

Kurt Vonnegut makes many biblical references throughout the book, but this one is probably the most odd. Billy describes the boy as Eve, the female counterpart of Adam. This comment has significance, as to note a boy in terms of female beauty indicates innocence and purity. WWII affected everyone, and required that even the youngest go through events no adult should experience. Billy notes his purity, as the war had yet to change both his appearance and innocence. The boy is also compared to an angel. I found it odd that Billy calls his enemy an angel. Why do you think that the boy was compared to both an angel and Eve?