Chapter 4: For every action...

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Who has an orange and black striped tent for a wedding? Jack Skellington?

I find it interesting that Billy knows he's going to be abducted by aliens, yet he does nothing to change this fact. Wouldn't he at least hide? Why do you think he does nothing to change his fate?

"So it goes." Even when it's just a bottle of champagne that's gone dead...funny.

What did you think about the WWII movie that Billy described backwards?

When Billy asks, "Why me?", why do the Tralfamadorians say that this was a very human question?

I found it funny that a Barca-Lounger is used as part of the human habitat in the Tralfamadorian zoo...What does that suggest about humans?

Why do you suppose Billy is so violent when he sleeps? Do you think his lack of sleep caused him to break from reality?

Why does Weary claim that Billy Pilgrim killed him?

Before the spaceship arrives, there is a sound like an owl. When the train arrives at the extermination camp, there is a cooing sound...significant?

Billy seems to jump around in time a lot at the end of this chapter. Why do you think this happens here?

What is so baffling to the Tralfamadorians concerning free will? Are humans brilliant because they're the only ones in the universe concerned with free will, or are they foolish to believe there is such a thing as free will?

Chapter 3: At War

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Why are the scouts killed, but not Weary or Billy?

p. 56: Is there any significance to this instance of time travel? Any significance to falling asleep (increasingly) at work?

What is "Ausable Chasm"?

What does the Lion's Club do? Who can join?

Interesting that Billy was not affected by the talk of bombings in Vietnam...why do you think he is so ambivalent?

What is the origin of the prayer on Billy's office wall? What group is associated with this prayer? What does this suggest about Billy?

Why do you think Billy just randomly weeps now?

Is there any significance in Billy's business investments?

"When food came in, the human beings were quiet and trusting and beautiful. They share." Love those lines.

Any significance to Billy's train moving and his being abducted by aliens?

Chapter 2: Unstuck in Time

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This chapter reminded me of this cheesy television show,
Quantum Leap. The premise of the show was that the handsome lead character would be sent back and forth in time in order to help with one situation or another. Until the situation was resolved, he was stuck wherever he landed...but one of the main differences between the show and the novel is that in the show, he could become other people...so he might be a woman, or he might be an old man, or he might be African American...that would be even tougher than Billy Pilgrim trying to figure out what age he was. It's much easier to act like yourself, no matter what age.

I love the phrase "unstuck in time," if for no other reason than it indicates that we are all currently stuck in time. Interesting to think about.

When relating Billy's situation, the narrator says, "He says." Does this mean that Billy Pilgrim is unreliable to the narrator? If the narrator doesn't trust the story, should we?

Billy Pilgrim's father dies in a hunting accident while Billy is away at war...Billy's wife dies from a random carbon monoxide accident after Billy survives a tragic airplane crash as the only survivor. Irony? If not, then what do you make of these odd coincidences?

What is significant about Billy's profession?

OK...so you're in New York, you're up late, and you're listening to talk radio. A man calls in and tells a story about being abducted by aliens, being put on display in a zoo, and being forced to breed with a former starlet with the unlikely name of Montana Wildhack...what is your reaction? What do you think of Billy's story?

So according to the Tralfamadorians, when someone dies, they are still alive in the past. All moments -- past, present, future -- have always existed and will always continue to exist. What do you think of this interesting theory? Is it plausible?

We finally find out the source of "so it goes." Does it change the way you hear that phrase?

[Note: Gotta love an author who uses the word "flibbertigibbet."]

vox humana and vox celeste...meanings?

Four survive the Battle of the Bulge: 2 scouts, 1 tank gunner, and 1 chaplain's assistant. Is there any significance to their jobs?

[Note: I hope no one ever describes me as a "filthy flamingo"]

Everyone on the gun crew was killed except for Weary...sound familiar?


A Spanish thumbscrew, in case you were wondering... (Photo Credit: http://medieval-castles.org)

Weary has a sick fascination with torture, don't you think? The Iron Maiden...

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What does Weary's version of the war tell you about Weary as a character?

Why did Billy resent being rescued from the bottom of the pool?

We get the story of Private Slovik, the only American soldier shot for cowardice since the Civil War. Why are we told this story?

When Billy is unstuck in time, why does he visit his only infidelity? Is there a method to the madness of this time travel?

The chapter ends with the surreal scene of Weary beating Pilgrim while Germans watch in wonder...what does the scene suggest to you about the line between fantasy and reality?

Chapter 1

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As this is the first chapter, let me tell you how I work. I am going to post all of my thoughts and questions from each chapter, taken from my own notes. I do not expect you to answer every question...or even answer any of the questions, necessarily. They are here merely to spur thoughts. You can comment on what I've written here or comment on whatever you like related to each chapter. You can even bring in connections to other novels, movies, or your own life. When all is said and done, we should have a pretty decent conversation about each chapter. And so it goes...

First, it's interesting that Vonnegut makes himself a character in his own work. That will pretty much disappear after chapter 1, but you should think about why he would do so.

p. 1: It's odd that in his description of Dresden/Dayton that he mentioned the bone meal so offhandedly...it's probably true, but an odd detail to bring up.

"So it goes." What do you make of this repeated phrase? What does the phrase do to the narrative around it?

What significance do the limerick (p. 2) and the song (p. 3) have?

I like the anti-glacier comment by Harrison Starr. Sad, but true...

What differences do you notice between the narrator (Vonnegut here) and O'Hare? Anything of significance?

I love that the narrator admits to drunk-dialing operators to stalk former friends and lovers...

What is the irony of Edgar Derby's sad tale?

What significance is there in the fact that he outlined the story in crayon?

Why is what he learned in college so important?

What does an anthropologist do?

What is important about his first news story? Why did he share that particular story? What was his tone as he related this story?

The Dresden bombing was worse than Hiroshima? How so? Is this a fact?

p. 10 -- why does he repeat the phrase, "I know"?

What is significant about the list of jobs Vonnegut has had since the war?

Eheu, fugaces labuntur anni. What does this mean?

I thought it was odd to compare carp with atomic submarines...

Mary has a cold demeanor upon Vonnegut's arrival...she then seems angry...then she unleashes her anger. What do you think of her as a character, and do you think her outburst was understandable/justifiable?

What is the irony of the information from the book by Mary Endell (p. 17-18)?

Great Quote: "And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, and how much was mine to keep."

Theodore Roethke's Words for the Wind and Erika Ostrovsky's Celine and His Vision ... Any significance in the allusion to these works?

Starting Lines

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OK...just a few things to consider as you begin this novel...three things, to be precise.

1) Why did Vonnegut choose to include a verse from "Away in a Manger" to start the novel? Is there anything significant here?
2) Why did Vonnegut choose to dedicate the book to two of the fictional characters from the novel?
3) What do you make of the alternate title for the novel: The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death?

Give those things some thought and share your ideas here...

The Widsom of Vonnegut

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Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.

Kurt Vonnegut, A Man without a Country

Summer of Fun

I decided to do something a little different this summer, and I hope you all like it. I have chosen two books that fall into the science fiction genre, but they are so much more. Slaughterhouse Five is a crazy, fun, sad, disturbing work of genius by one of America's most prolific author's. Do a little research on Vonnegut...get to know him...he's an interesting fella. Also, remember this book cover and come back to this post when you're done reading. I want to know why Vonnegut gave it the alternate title...what do you think (don't research it...just share your opinion)?

Enjoy the read. I'll have a post up for chapter 1 soon.