Perhaps we might buy a book based on its cover, but judging any book on such scant information a title and picture is seldom right. Slaughterhousefive boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in vonneguts other works, but the books basis in rockhard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy. The screenplay is by stephen geller and the film was directed by george roy hill. Essays and criticism on kurt vonnegut vonnegut, kurt, jr. Billys story in slaughterhousefive has no beginning, no middle, no end, just as tralfamadorian writing has none. Slaughterhousefive is an account of billy pilgrims capture and incarceration by the germans during the last years of world war ii, and scattered throughout the narrative are episodes from billys life both before and after the war, and from his travels to the planet tralfamadore trawlfahmuhdoor. However, most of the book jumps around through time.
How does one even find the words to write about it. Slaughterhousefive tells the story of billy pilgrim, a man who. I recently finished reading kurt vonneguts slaughterhouse five and i quite enjoyed it but i dont get why it is so highly praised as being one of the greatest books ever written. Slaughterhousefive summary its hard to summarize the plot of slaughterhousefive neatly. I do think this book was meant as a way to open up discussion, and not to present concrete answers. I read slaughterhousefive, arguably reddits favourite. Never more so than with slaughterhousefive, which for years id suspected is set in the future it isnt and centres around a place of grim violence it doesnt. The role of religion in the life of billy pilgrim is a key point in slaughterhousefive. A short summary of kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive. Short plotchapter summary synopsis the plot of the book is multifold and complicated. Slaughterhousefive is a 1972 science fiction film based on kurt vonnegut s novel of the same name about a writer who tells a story in random order of how he was a soldier in world war ii and was abducted by aliens. The story is told in a nonlinear order, and events become clear through. Billy is buried in the snow in the green mountains and a group of skiers find him bloodied and buried in the rubble. The synopsis below may give away important plot points.
One does not expect to find kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive on christian reading lists. It has been popular all over the world since its was published in 1969. Slaughterhousefive is an account of billy pilgrims capture and incarceration by the germans during the last years of world war ii, and scattered throughout the. The absurdist, nonlinear work blends science fiction with historical events, notably the dresden firebombing of world war ii. That being said, if i had to sum it up, slaughterhouse five is about a man, billy pilgrim, who has come unstuck in time, after getting kidnapped by aliens, and learning to see his life in fourdimensions. And in that, i believe it succeeds marvelously, because all ive wanted to talk about this week is slaughterhousefive. Slaughterhousefive is a classic antiwar novel about the firebombing of dresden during world war ii. It takes us through the life of billy pilgrim as he comes unstuck in time and travels back and forth through his life and his experiences in world war ii. Slaughterhousefive is the story of billy pilgrims life, framed around his time in the second world war more specifically, the terrible bombing of dresden, of which he is, was and will be a survivor. And i feel like, in this day and age, a lot of hype for sh5 and vonnegut in general comes from that crowd, which may or may not hype it past what it is. Slaughterhousefive, antiwar novel by kurt vonnegut, published in 1969. Pictures of the true first edition of slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut.
Get all the key plot points of kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive on one page. Slaughterhouse five chapters 12 summary and analysis. Billy pilgrim, the novels protagonist, has come unstuck in time, meaning he can move freely from one period of his life to another. People liking them simply because they think they should like the book. Slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut jr plot structure analysis. He travels back and forth in time, visiting his birth, death, all the moments in between repeatedly and out of order.
A dutydance with death 1969 is a satirical novel by kurt vonnegut about world war ii experiences and journeys through time of a chaplains assistant named billy pilgrim. This book is an antiwar novel and also a science fiction story. Billy pilgrim, the novels protagonist, has become unstuck in time. Can somebody give me a synopsis of the book slaughterhouse five including plot. When he talks to bernard ohare about the climax of his planned dresden book, the idea of a novel with climax, plot, characters, and all of the other tricks of the novelists. Help us create the kind of literary community youve always dreamed of. Slaughterhousefive is an extremely entertaining read, and an important book for teen readers to explore more deeply in a classroom setting. Learn more about slaughterhousefive, including its. In the opening chapter of slaughterhousefive, kurt vonnegut recounts his being unable to write a war book about the dresden firebombing february 15, 1945, which he survived.
Or, the childrens crusade, a dutydance with death kurt vonnegut, 1969 random house 224 pp. In a plotscrambling display of virtuosity, we follow pilgrim. He served in world war ii, finished his optometry studies, became engaged to daughter of the owner of. Slaughterhousefive summary from litcharts the creators. Billys traumatic past has left him unstuck in time. Slaughterhousefive uses science fiction the same way it uses war, both as a plot point and as an object of philosophical examination. We actually hear about tralfamadore in the second chapter of the book, but. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important.
Its hard to summarize the plot of slaughterhousefive neatly. He studied to be an optometrist for one semester before being drafted. Since the main character, billy pilgrim, travels through time, we jump from 1944 to 1967 to billys childhood and back again. I do plan to reread the book in the future to hopefully understand it better, but i did not get it the first time. The novel tells the story of billy pilgrim, a victim of alien abduction whose life of temporally unstuck episodes centers around the pivotal event of his experience as an american prisoner of war who was present during the allied firebombing of dresden at the end of world war ii.
Slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut jr plot structure. This summary of slaughterhouse five includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Although this tragic event is first described in the opening chapter, details about it are found throughout the book. Slaughterhousefive summary from litcharts the creators of. The story, told from billys perspective and sometimes vonnegut, who has placed himself in the story, skips around between short anecdotal snippets from different points in billys life. Slaughterhouse five, where they will be staying and what to shout in german in case of emergency. In almost every chapter, billy painfully remembers the events surrounding the fateful dresden air attack, and in his time travels, he is often taken back. Kurt vonnegut wishes to write a novel about the firebombing of dresden, which he witnessed as an american pow and survived by hiding in a slaughterhouse. Learn more about slaughterhousefive, including its summary and characters. After an introductory chapter in which the narrator describes his personal difficulties in writing about his experiences in world war ii and witnessing the bombing of dresden in 1945, slaughterhousefive recounts the life story of billy pilgrim, a war veteran whose wartime experiences parallel those of the narrator. Slaughterhousefive is a science fiction book by american author kurt vonnegut. They later visit dresden and walk through the reconstructed city together. A list of important facts about kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists. It is generally recognized as vonneguts most influential and popular work.
It is often picked as one of the best books of all time. Slaughterhouse 5 is about a time travelling american soldier during world war ii who is in the german city of dresden when it is bombed by the allies. No suspense occurs in the novel because vonnegut divulges all of billys life by the end of chapter two, just as all of the past, the present, and the future is known to the tralfamadorians. It also has one of the alltime great opening lines in literature as it begins what is surely one of the strangest meditations on.
Postmodern the level of selfconsciousness that slaughterhousefive brings to the genres of autobiography, war drama, and science fiction all point to a fourth and final genre. The absurdist, nonlinear work blends science fiction with historical. His best known work, the novel represents vonneguts personal experiences as a prisoner of war during the fire bombing of dresden during world war ii. Billy is able to move both forwards and backwards through his lifetime in an arbitrary cycle of events. Slaughterhouse five is where billy pilgrim, kurt vonnegut, and about a hundred other americans were imprisoned in dresden, germany toward the end of world war ii. Slaughterhousefive was an immediate critical and commercial sensation in 1969, and it has stood the test of time. It is an absurd look at war, memory, time, and humanity, but it is also gentle. Slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut first edition points. Impress your teachers by preparing ahead of time for class discussion. Get all the key plot points of kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive on one. Toward the beginning of the novel the narrator states that pilgrim started out in the second world war as a chaplains assistant and had a meek faith in a loving jesus which most soldiers found putrid. Vonnegut contacts his friend bernard ohare, but they cannot remember much about the bombing. Slaughterhouse five study guide contains a biography of kurt vonnegut. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of slaughterhousefive.
I say is, was and will be partly because the book is written in snatches small chunks of billys life from seemingly random points. Kurt vonnegut wishes to write a novel about the firebombing of. Kidnapped by aliens and living in comfort with his assigned mate, bmovie starlet montana wildhack valerie perrine, billy experiences the events of his life in random order, flitting between his past as an american prisoner of war in world war ii, to his. Summary kurt vonneguts absurdist classic slaughterhousefive introduces us to billy pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet tralfamadore. Well look at the plot of slaughterhouse five in order, then look at the way vonnegut. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. A young lady in her early twenties and her husband pull up in their 1969 ford country squire station wagon to a lavish upstate new york home on a lake, near the. The novel is framed by chapters one and ten, in which vonnegut.
Slaughterhouse five is the story of billy pilgrim, a decidedly nonheroic man who has become unstuck in time. Slaughterhouse five is a 1969 antiwar novel by satirical author kurt vonnegut. Slaughterhouse five study guide contains a biography of kurt vonnegut, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Kurt vonnegut, slaughterhousefive ive read slaughterhousefive several times and im still not sure i know exactly how vonnegut pulls it off. The plot of slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut is centered around billy pilgrims timetraveling escapades. The structure of the novel is totally unconventional and does not really have a clear. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from. Immediately download the slaughterhousefive summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching slaughterhousefive.
Okay, okayits pretty clear that i do not think this book is a masterpiece and jeriann does. Slaughterhousefive summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. What is the significance of the title of the novel answer. Includes identificaton criteria and points of issue to help collectors identify the original book. I loved the book, dont get me wrong, but i might be missing a deeper meaning.