The Slaughterhouse-Five: A Tale of War and Time Travel
The Slaughterhouse-Five is a science fiction novel written in 1969 by Kurt Vonnegut. The novel is about the experiences of World War II. The protagonist of the novel is Billy Pilgrim, an American soldier and also an assistant of the Chaplain. In the story, there are creatures known as Tralfamadorians. To humans, they take the shape of upright toilet plungers with a hand atop. These creatures abduct Billy and through them, Billy learns about the relationship between time and the world as a fourth dimension, as well as the concept of fate and death. The Tralfamadorians believe that the universe will one day be accidentally destroyed by their test pilots. Billy Pilgrim's hallucinations of the Tralfamadorians, belief of the Tralfamadorians philosophy of time and death, and his seemingly emotionless demeanor are all coping mechanisms for undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). (Gigantino, 2012).
Billy's Escape from Reality
The mental state of Billy is never fully explored in the novel, however, he is troubled by the experiences of World War II. Billy's hallucinations of the Tralfamadorians are a direct result of his traumatic experiences in the war and used as a coping mechanism for everyday life. It appears that Bill is suffering from hallucination, and the view of the Tralfamadorians as a way of escaping the world he does not fully understand, destroyed by war. Billy is confused about the world and cannot do anything about it. He has no choice when he is held captive by the Tralfamadorians, and similarly in the real world, Billy cannot do anything about it. Billy believes that he lives in a geodesic dome on the Tralfamadore. Furthermore, the Tralfamadorians plants the idea of fourth dimension into Billy's mind. He believes that he has no control over time, and literally travels to the past. However, he does not only know where he is going, but also when he is being taken. As a result, Billy accepts that he does not have control of his own life, and the only way out of it is to accept the beliefs of the Tralfamadorians, death, free will and time itself are all illusions. However, it appears that Billy uses the fourth dimension aspect of time as a way of escaping the truth because of the dead people he has seen face to face. He ends up believing in an impossible theory to cope with the destructions of war. In addition, the hallucinations are based on the fact that the Tralfamadorians symbolizes the Germans who captured him, for instance, both the Tralfamadorians and the Germans forced him to strip at the camp. Also, both the Germans and the Tralfamadorians did not tell him why they have kidnapped him (Gigantino, 2012).
Flashbacks or Time Travel?
Billy further believes that he is literally travels back and forth in time. However, it is not him physically travelling, but his mind as flashbacks to his time in war. Billy Pilgrim is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and one of the symptoms of the medical condition is flashbacks. The traumatic events of the war such as rape, kidnapping, and natural disasters lead to Billy suffer from PTSD. Since Billy is simply "visiting" the places he once was, then it is not time travelling, but rather flashbacks. Vonnegut states that "he never knows what part of his life he is going to have to act in next" (23) (Vonnegut, 1969). This signify that he was "acting" something he has already experienced before. Another evidence that points describes that Bill is not time traveling but only sees flashbacks is the fact that he only goes to the moments he has been before. It was indeed time travelling, then Bill would have gone to moments in the past where he had no experience, such the times of Abraham Lincoln, march with Martin Luther King, Jr or even to the times he had not yet been born. Furthermore, traveling back in time can allow the subject to alter a past event. Billy only visits the same moments he has once experienced, and as a results, relives the same moments. In addition, time travel, as depicted in science fiction literature, allows the person to visit the future and see what the world would be after several years. However, Billy does not have this privilege, but only visits on the past, signifying that it is not time travelling but flashbacks.
The Tralfamadorians' Philosophy
When Billy is captured by the Tralfamadorians, they tell him about their philosophy of time and death. However, the Tralfamadorians' philosophy of time and death was conjured up by Billy's own mind to further help cope with the horrors he saw in the war, and everyday life. The creatures believe in the fourth dimension where everything occurs endlessly and simultaneously. They also believe that all the moments happening have already happened since they repeat themselves and therefore they are powerless to change them. As a result, free will does not exist, and humans are mistaken to think that time is a linear progression. Billy believes in the Tralfamadorians' philosophy because in his life, has always been against forces which are against his free will. As a child, Billy's father teaches him to swim by sinking in the deep end of the pool, but is willing to stay there. However, he does not get what he wants since his father rescues him. In addition, Billy is in the war against his will, and seen as a joke by his mates since he has no suppliers, no proper clothing and also lack the relevant training. The events which have taken place in his life have proven that there is no free will, and as a result, he believes the Tralfamodorians. Billy knows that in life, you cannot always get what you want, but goes ahead and believes in the philosophy to only escape from the reality of life. The free will concept goes hand in hand with moral responsibility. It is evident from the novel that when Billy stopped believing in free will, he stopped being responsible for his behavior. The moral responsibility is evident when Billy blamed himself for being part of the bombers of Dresden bombings. So in adopting a worldview that denies free will, he can't blame himself for surviving, being complicit in mass murder, or for benefiting financially after the war (Hunt, 2010).
Billy's Stoicism and PTSD
Even though he does not know it, Billy is suffering from PTSD. Throughout the novel, he is stoic in nature, always calm, not showing any emotions, and accepts whatever is happening. Even if he considered to be weak and have not receive any training, Billy joins the army against his will. The acceptance of whatever happens to him is a sign that Billy is stoic in nature, caused by the PTSD condition he suffers from. In addition, Billy either ignores and avoids people who are trying to have a conversation with him because of the flashbacks he is experiencing. Furthermore, Billy anti-social behavior is as a result of the mental condition, perceiving situations and seeing the others as dysfunctional. People with PTSD are usually avoids or neglects other people around them.
PTSD in Real Life
Even though this is an anti-war novel, it gave good insight into how PTSD was experienced by veterans living in post-war USA. People who suffer from PTSD usually have experienced a violent altercation such as war where they witness people killing other people. Even though PTSD can also be acquired through the loss of someone dear to you, the impact is not as much as those who have experience altercations. Krasner (2018) explained in his article, "Returning Soldiers and PTSD" about the struggles the American soldiers who have experienced the struggles in the Iraq war. PTSD is an unpleasant disorder which is unpleasant whether experienced through literature or in real life. It is a problem in society since violence is common in society and therefore, it is a medical condition which will always be present. It is therefore important to raise awareness of its existence to help the millions of Americans living with the condition. Furthermore, the war veteran who acquire the condition through war experience should be treated with the respect they deserve, and maybe with time, a drug will be discovered to combat the symptoms.
Work cited
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Gigantino, Jennifer. Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter-House Five. , 2012. Internet resource.
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Hunt, Nigel C. Memory, War, and Trauma. , 2010. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press
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Krasner, Barbara. Returning Soldiers and PTSD. , 2018. New York, NY : Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughter-house Five. New York: Dell, 1969. Print. Bottom of Form
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