As I read the second chapter of Kurt Vonnegut’s book, I became identified with the instability Billy Pilgrims lives previous, during, and after World War II. After having lived through a very traumatic life, Billy ends up convinced that on the night of his daughter’s wedding, he was abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, from whom he learned a lot about existence, life, death, and time. They say that all moments have always existed and therefore there is no reason to cry over a person’s death because they are still alive in many other moments. This is a very interesting concept, and although I do not agree with it, it is still so abstract that it makes you drop the book for a few minutes while you think about such an intangible concept.
The novel is written in a very interesting way, seeing as it reflects Billy’s theory that everything is going on at the same time. Its structure reminds e of the movie “The Time Traveler’s Wife”, which illustrates the life of a man who helplessly travels through all the moments of his life without being able to control it, and the suffering this brings to those he loves, including himself. In the second chapter of the book, Vonnegut takes us on a journey through Billy’s life, jumping back and forth in time. However, he does this in a way that is not confusing or elusive for the reader, and you start to realize what type of character he is, and start discovering the reasons he acts the way he does. Along the middle of the chapter, the narrator describes a crucifix that hung from Billy’s wall of his bedroom in Ilium. He portrays it as a gruesome and very life-like image of Christ as he was hanging on the Cross, with an almost perfect imitation of his wounds and injuries. “Billy’s Christ died horribly. He was pitiful.” (pg. 38). This quote portrays the way Billy feels about his own life, just as the ‘pitiful’ Christ represents him. After suffering through the traumas of being mercilessly thrown into a pool, experiencing the death of several family members, surviving a violent plane crash, and living through horrible experiences in World War II, Billy is as badly scarred (both physically and psychologically) as the dying man on the cross.
I like how you summarized the chapter and included your opinion in a way that doesn't try to make your audience change their's, but simply lets them understand what you believe. I too had to stop reading the book for a while to grasp Pilgrim's theory about time. I also like how you managed to identify Christ as a symbol. I hadn't realized that it represented Billy, but after reading your arguments I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine what Billy must've suffered in the war. You're right, he has gone through a lot and that explains everything he has said about his "abduction." Billy might've lost the meaning of life and tranquility because of the war. I find it interesting that you believe that the christ represents him. I had never thought of that before. I thought that the christ could represent that Billy lost all faith due to his experiences. There are different ways to interpret that and I guess we'll just have to continue reading to find out.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that all his experiences have left a huge impact on him psycologically. I truly liked the way in which you wrote this response as you related the chapter into things you have seen through out your life. This made me reflect a lot on the fact that the events that occur in each person's life shape who they are and who they will become. Probably, Billy Pilgrim's life would have been pretty different if he would not have been in World War II.
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