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?