Dalton+S.+Slaughterhouse-Five

__ SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE or __ __ THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE __ By: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

World War II "Death Trains" to transport Nazi prisoners of war: []

Why was this book placed on the “Outstanding Books for the College Bound” list? : I believe that //Slaughterhouse Five// is an outstanding book due to the novel’s central theme; as the back cover states: “Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the world’s great anti-war books”. In the synopsis of this book (coming up soon), Kurt Vonnegut centralizes his story around a young man who struggles through family issues, dealings with the supernatural, his years in World War II, and above all… the understanding of time. The order in which Vonnegut chooses to depict all of these is unlike any other; this is another reason why this novel is outstanding to read. Lastly, I believe that //Slaughterhouse Five// is outstanding because the book is not entirely chronological; again, it’s unlike anything else that you have read.

Why would you recommend the book to someone else? : I would definitely recommend this outstanding book to anybody that asked me. Why you ask? I would say to them that they should look into understanding this book because of the anti-war theme that is at the foundation of all events that take place in the novel. This book does not just immerse itself in saying that the Nazis were ruthless, prisoners of war had it tough, and time is constantly surrounding us. Vonnegut presents his novel in a manner that catches your attention. As seen by the title, //Slaughterhouse Five// sounds like a horror film of literature; yet when adding //or the Children’s Crusade//, the reader understands that the novel is concerning younger audiences. As Mary O’ Hare said to Kurt Vonnegut the night her husband (Vonnegut’s old war buddy) and Vonnegut were discussing stories for the novel she cried, “You were just babies in the war—like the one’s upstairs!” (O’Hare 14). Mary O’Hare makes this book outstanding because she makes the audience realize that it is young people who fight against horrible events and times in our world; thus, Vonnegut agreed to add //or The Children’s Crusade,// to tell the truth of who really fought wars.

What makes the book “outstanding”? : Characterization occurs in a rare fashion in the novel. Instead of the characters developing from one certain point to another, the characters jump around in time. Billy Pilgrim is described in his senior years, then he recalls his years as a Chaplain’s Aide in the war, then it skips to his young/ maturing adulthood, then it repeats back to his senior years ( and all over again). Second, the imagery that Vonnegut creates is amazing: the description of the Tralfmadorians’ world, Billy Pilgrim’s battles with “The Three Musketeers” (Roland Weary 48), the description of the prisoner trains, the events on the prisoner train, and the effects of the Dresden fire-bombing. Third and foremost, the settings within the novel take you to places all over.

SYNOPSIS : Billy Pilgrim is our main character who has become unstuck at different points in time. Born in 1922 in Ilium, NY, Billy grew up to become an optometrist. However, his future was changed FOREVER when he was drafted to enter into the military; while in his 20’s, Billy was trained in South Carolina as a chaplain’s aide to spread faith and hope to the troops fighting the War in Europe during World War II. Unfortunately, losses in his family brought him home to New York. Immediately upon arrival back home, Billy receives word that his aid is needed in Europe with the troops. So, Pilgrim packed up and headed over seas to bring spirituality to men who were in need of it. Unfortunately, Pilgrim was assigned to a group of soldiers that had no values or attitudes similar to his. Somehow, Billy will need to find a way to join with “The Three Musketeers” to defeat a familiar evil to all mankind—death. Read //Slaughterhouse Five// and discover the erratic travels through time of Billy Pilgrim: his zoo-like experiences with the Tralfmadorians, the struggle after a plane crash, his efforts to survive imprisonment in both labor camp and slaughterhouse (number five), and above all… his journey through time to understand the pure meaning of each moment in life.

“ 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.” -(Anonymous author page 209)

Author Biography: “ Writer, novelist. Born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kurt Vonnegut is considered one of the most influential American novelists of the twentieth century. He blended literature with science fiction and humor, the absurd with pointed social commentary. Vonnegut created his own unique world in each of his novels and filled them with unusual characters, such as the alien race known as the Tralfamadorians in // Slaughterhouse-Five // (1969).” [] Overall, Kurt Vonnegut is a master writer who blends the past, present and future together to convey the idea of certain moments only occurring at those certain times. One example: in a massacre (like the Holocaust of Dresden fire-bombing that Vonnegut lived through):”Everything is supposed to be very quiet after a massacre, and it always is, except for the birds. And what do the birds say? All there is to say about a massacre, things like ‘//Poo-tee-weet?’//” (Kurt Vonnegut 19)