"Slaughterhouse Five" and In-Class Readings

I have truly struggled to compare "Slaughterhouse Five" to any in-class texts we have studied thus far. Puritanism and Rationalism are on the complete opposite end of the American literature spectrum. Despite the fact I have identified a few biblical allusions, I have encountered difficulty directly relating "Slaughterhouse Five" to specific texts such as "Prologue" by Anne Bradstreet, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Taylor Edwards, or "The Autobiography [Part One]" by Benjamin Franklin. I somewhat made a mistake picking a postmodernism book for the first quarter.

Puritanism, which I commonly associate with religion, is highlighted by the first two texts listed above. "Prologue" addresses the female inferiority within her community. On the other hand, "Slaughterhouse Five" rarely mentions any females within the book. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" argues that unconverted people will be punished. "Slaughterhouse Five" does not emphasize any religion. "The Autobiography [Part One]" highlights Benjamin Franklin's life and his reasonable/logical decisions. "Slaughterhouse Five" is quite the opposite -- there is very little logic involved. Nobody expects a time-traveling soldier to explain his experiences with aliens. It is very strange and out of order.

"Slaughterhouse Five" and DAL (Definition of American Literature)

Over the course of many years, talented scholars have delved into the depths of writing to unravel the mystery of western literature. As a result of a number of factors, the concept is very elusive and tends to stay in the shadows. For example, boundaries limiting its time period and region are vague and undefined. When and where does American literature truly begin? It's questions like these that stump the many philosophers who pursue the identity of western literature. Faced with a multitude of obstacles, historians and scholars often conflict on the matter at hand. With all this debate, western literature has emerged as one of the few words whose definition is not set in stone. Reasons for such discrepancy lie within the rapidly evolving American culture. However, using history as a foundation, we can track literary movements and, to a certain extent, define western literature. Puritanism, Rationalism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism are six that have shaped and molded the literature over the course of hundreds of years.

"Slaughterhouse Five", my independent reading novel, is a great representation of the last American literary movement so far, postmodernism. The book reveals a multitude of characteristics that directly correlate to the postmodernist style of writing. It becomes especially evident when the themes are recurring.

Right off the bat, Kurt Vonnegut's writing proves to be extremely self-reflexive. Often times, the text would refer to itself. Before the story actually begins, he writes "I've finished my war book now" (28), and "This one is a failure..." (28). By writing in this manner, Vonnegut addresses his own writing to create this sense of self-reflexivity. Over the course of the entire book, the phrase "So it goes" appears a large amount of times, often found following a dramatic scene. "So it goes" is short line conveying the feeling of resignation and ease. In my eyes, this phrase is merely comic relief in the face of dark, death-plagued humor. "Slaughterhouse Five" is also characterized by heavy fragmentation over large chunks of text. Billy Pilgrim, the main character, is "unstuck in time." From what I have deduced, he might have a mental condition that influences his memory, causing him to experience his life again. This is perfectly exemplified in his introduction: "He has walked through a door in 1955 and come out another one in 1941." His sporadic, unpredictable time traveling leaves the reader off-balance and somewhat confused.

There are a handful more reasons "Slaughterhouse Five" is a postmodernist piece of art, far too many to mention in this blog.

"Slaughterhouse Five" and Puritanism

Before you pull out your red pens, understand that I too hesitated to title this post what it is now. How could an antiwar book, notorious for its representation of postmodernism, relate in any manner to one of the first American literary movements? Puritanism was religious reform movement caused by many European immigrants in order to "purify" the Church and minds of the people. They valued true faith and argued against the very temporal lifestyle the New World had adopted. On the other hand, Postmodernism is a literary movement in which skepticism was incorporated into the writing. Pieces would be fragmented, disorganized, or just awkward to read in general. Despite being on the opposite ends of the spectrum, both Puritanism and Postmodernism have some common ground in which I can use as my blog's foundation: biblical references.

Throughout the book, readers can identify a number of biblical allusions such as the stories of Lot's wife, Adam and Eve, the Crucifixion, and the Garden of Eden.

Kurt Vonnegut, the author of "Slaughterhouse Five," was addressing the quality of his book when he mentioned the first reference: "This one is a failure, and had to be, since it was written by a pillar of salt..." (28). In the bible, an angel told both Lot and his wife to not look back towards the destruction of Sodom. Unable to resist the temptation, his spouse turned into the wrath of God and solidified into a pillar of salt. In this line, Vonnegut is referring to himself; he is the "failure" looking back on his years as a veteran.

Only forty pages later, Vonnegut makes another reference to the bible when he says, "But, lying on the black ice there, Billy stared into the patina of the corporal's boots, saw Adam and Eve in the golden depths. In the following lines, Billy Pilgrim, the character, addresses the beauty and innocence of the first two humans and the world they lived in. Vonnegut contrasts this with the despair and guilt involved in Billy's situation -- he thirsts for contact with peace and chastity.

As a prisoner of war, Billy was faced with a multitude of worsening conditions. His worst was when he and other men were trapped in a boxcar traveling towards another camp for ten days. Disease and depression spread like a plague. His fellow American soldiers were irritable and disliked him greatly. Consumed by these conditions, Pilgrim helplessly plunged into a moribund state. Faced by imminent death, Vonnegut compares Billy to Jesus in the line: "Billy Pilgrim was lying at an angle on the corner-brace, self-crucified, holding himself there with a blue and ivory claw hooked over the sill of the ventilator" (101). The word Vonnegut used, "crucified," evokes the idea of Jesus spread over the cross, dying slowly with every breath.

Nearing the end of the book, Billy Pilgrim and a handful of his fellow soldiers were trapped in a Slaughterhouse, when one day, a man visited them. Howard W. Campbell, Jr., a former American soldier, had come to preach in favor of Nazism with pure intention of converting Billy and his friends. Plagued by starvation and a number of other conditions, the soldiers were sleepy and struggling. Despite his audience's state, Campbell continued talking, advertising the German name, until Edgar Derby stood up. "Derby raised his head, called Campbell a snake." This line, though very subtle, relates to a biblical story. Vonnegut directly identifies Howard, the American traitor, as a snake, the devil in Genesis. It is a strong metaphor that effectively convinces the audience of his Campbell's hostility.