I want to share my feeling: It is just very weird book. When I read in the first chapter, that the author wants to write a war book, I certainly did not picture time travelling and aliens.
In war books, I was used to chronological storytelling. It is looking, that the author has a plan to write his story, for example The Night by Elie Wiesel. He gave us just the important information and experiences from his life, in chronological order.
However in Slaughterhouse five, it is so different and confusing. The author is jumping from one year to another, for example on page 46…” Billy blinked in 1958, traveled in time to 1961.” I know it is important to know the main character, but it is very weird for me and I do not see this book as a war book, yet. The only thing that is related to war for me, is that Billy was in army, but it seems to me, just like a one part of his life. Not special one, that we should pay attention to. It does not look, like this part is very important and the book is going to be about war.
I am sure, i will get more confused later, when the Tralfamadorians will get involved.
Do you have the same feeling? I do not see any point or author’s goal, so far...do you?
I'm starting to feel the same way. When we read All Quiet on the Western Front, another anti-war book, the author went out of his way to describe how horrible and violent war is. In this book the terrors of war are barely even featured, and the Billy of the future doesn't seem affected by it. I wonder if maybe Vonnegut is trying to show that in a world where something as crazy and senseless as war can exist, things like time travel and aliens might as well exist too.
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