“Slaughterhouse-Five“ by Kurt Vonnegut:
Freedom and Confinement
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Freedom and Confinement in “ Slaughterhouse-Five”
Billy Pilgrim is the main character in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Slaughterhouse-Five”. During his life he is confined as a soldier in World War II, as a prisoner of war (short POW), a member of the American society after 1945 and as an exhibit on the fictional planet Tralfamadore.
After being freed from German captivity, he starts suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and becomes ‘unstuck in time’. In the following essay I am going to analyze the aspects ‘freedom and confinement’ in “Slaughterhouse-Five” based on the given guiding questions:
What comparisons does Vonnegut suggest between the Germans who took Billy captive and the Tralfamadorians? What significance might these comparisons have?
Billy is (obviously) a prisoner of war, but what else might we say he is a prisoner of? What other kinds of less-tangible confinement do he and the other characters suffer?
Even after Billy is freed from German captivity, he remains mentally a prisoner of his war experiences – until he can replace these memories with life on Tralfamadore.
My general thesis is:
“Obviously, Slaughterhouse-Five is a book about prisoners of war, and it doesn't get much more confined than that. But even more, it's a book about the many, many ways people get trapped: by the army, by family, and by their own beliefs in God or glory. It isn't only the Germans or the U.S. Army who take away Billy's choices.
He also finds himself caving in to the expectations of his mother, his optometry office, and even his own daughter.”
In general, the term “freedom” means the possibility of making own decisions without being forced or put under pressure, while “confinement” is right the opposite. Even social constrains are kinds of pressure, such as norms and customs. Society often forces you to follow rules without discretion or the opportunity to refuse.
The novel “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut is based on a true story, namely the author’s personal experiences, and includes historical facts, such as World War II and the Dresden firebombing. Furthermore, the novel contains a science fiction story, which deals with aliens living on a plan.....[read full text]
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Please downloadthe paper. He gets a negative change in thinking, mood and emotional reactions, has sleeping problems, has negative feelings towards others, which makes it difficult for him to maintain relationships, and he refuses to talk about his trauma (p.64 ll.6-9/ p.66 l.23 – p.67 l.24/ p.82 ll.1-31/ p.111 ll.5-23/ p.124 l.24 – p.126 l.2).
But his biggest problem is that he his unstuck in time and relives scenes from his life several times.
As a soldier, Billy Pilgrim is a ‘prisoner’ of the U.S. Army, since he is forced to obey his officers’ orders, without criticising them or complaining. In this period of Billy’s life he cannot materialize his free will because being a soldier means to give up one’s free will. His freedom to make his own decisions is taken away by the U.S Army and by his front-line unit.
During World War II Billy often says, “You guys go on without me” (p.34, 47). This passage describes the absence of his free will quite well. Billy does not want to move, but he has to. “had been saving Billy's life for days, cursing him, kicking him, slapping him, making him move.
It was absolutely necessary that cruelty be used, because Billy wouldn't do anything to save himself. Billy wanted to quit. He was cold, hungry, embarrassed, incompetent. He could scarcely distinguish between sleep and wakefulness now, on the third day, found no important differences, either, between walking and standing still.” (p.34) / “‘ Saved your life again, you dumb bastard,’ Weary said to Billy in the ditch.” (p.37) Moreover, these two passages show that his fellows’ actions prevent him from giving up.
Although Billy wants to quit, Roland Weary saves .....
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Please downloadthe paper. The aspiring to oblivion makes Billy creating the fictional second reality, taking place on the planet “Tralfamadore”.
In conclusion, the terms “freedom” and “confinement” do not refer to physical imprisonment, but also to psychological trauma. In “Slaughterhoue-Five” there are described both ideas of captivities, such as Billy’s physical captivity by the Germans in Dresden and his psychological disease of PTSD.
Through the Tralfamadorians Billy finds happiness and peace of mind, which actually let him live in psychological freedom. Although he is captured as an exhibit on Tralfamadore, he feels free. Since on Tralfamadore Billy does not have to suffer from his fellow beings’ expectations any longer.
At the beginning of the novel he is released out of his physical confinement and suffers from the psychological one, whereas he is confined by the Tralfamadorians and feels psychologically totally free. He lives in his familiar surroundings, regarding a minimum amount of property, hygiene and company.
For that reason he does not feel as a prisoner and enjoys his life on Tralfamadore.
words: 1.208 ( 1.534 – 326 quotations )
Sources:
Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegurt, Klett Stuttgart, 1969
26.12.2014 – 14.04 Uhr
27.12.2014 – 12.16 Uhr
28.12.2014 – 15.38 Uhr
Groupwork, since 2nd December 2014
PTSD pages from Frau Hofmann, 16th and 17th of December 2014
BARRON’S BOOK NOTES- Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, New York 1985
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