Analysis

Billy Pilgrim is the supposed “protagonist” of this twisted story. The readers don’t really see his life story through his eyes, but more observe it from a unique perspective. Through watching his trauma in a state of disassociation, the theme laces itself into Billy himself as a character. Vonnegut prefaces his book with a conversation with his wife -- a conversation between war buddies enrages her to join a “much larger conversation” as she claims that the vets like her husband “were just babies in the war.” Billy is introduced to the readers as a broken old man talking about aliens on the radio. When he goes on one of his numerous “time skips”, it’s revealed that Pilgrim entered World War Two as a young eighteen-year-old; some may even think of him as an innocent child. Granted he was a harmless figure -- not a soldier or a healer -- and should’ve been able to escape Scott free. That is not the case; Billy Pilgrim witnessed atrocities of mankind that shaped him into the man he became at an essential time of development.

The narrative that follows Pilgrim is rooted with purpose -- why are we reading about an unimportant man who both reflects on his past and his future at the same time? It was to illuminate how combat can impact a soldier during and even after the fighting. Both Pilgrim and Weary were just eighteen when they were thrust into the war; in reality neither of them were prepared. Vonnegut even goes as far as to compare Pilgrim’s presence and uniform to “a filthy flamingo.” It’s clear though that throughout the narrative -- and with insights from his time travels -- that Billy Pilgrim became the shell of a man after what he had seen. When Billy is initially captured, he was face-to-face with a pair of golden boots so shiny you could “see Adam and Eve.” Billy was able to look into these shoes and see the pair, and he loved them for their innocence and perfection. Fast forward to his forties, Billy is sitting in his quiet home slugging dead champagne “like a dinner bell” as he watches a film -- ironically -- about American World War Two bombers. The constant back-and-forth between the past, present, and future depict the inner struggle Pilgrim is experiencing; the poor man just wants release from the grip his past has on him.

Billy is actually based on one of Vonnegut’s comrades in World War Two named Edward R. Crone Jr., and while he didn’t live long enough to get back home, he had a lasting impact on Vonnegut; clearly enough of an impact to blend both Crone’s experience and his own to create the broken mind of Billy Pilgrim. With this combination of real-life experiences and dramatization, a perspective into the mind of a PTSD-riddled veteran is brought to life through Vonnegut’s writing. Even though he sees this book as “a failure”, Kurt Vonnegut perfectly displays the impact of war on the human mind within the narrative of Billy Pilgrim.

Personal Connection

Long before I was ever born, my father was in the Army. Granted he was never deployed into combat (thank goodness) but he heard and saw a lot while he was in training. It was mentally and physically taxing, and he had to adapt to a new way of thinking -- kill or be killed. Countless drills and faux battles and helicopter jumps were all in preparation of some big event that may or may not even happen. The suspense alone would drive someone up a wall; luckily my father got through it all and finished his contract. That didn’t leave him unscathed, and while our family has always had access to any of his supplies and his plenty of stories, he kept and still keeps some experiences to himself. My mother never let him drink too much; he becomes incredibly paranoid and protective, something only my mom has witnessed. He is also insists on facing the door at any place -- whether it be a restaurant or a business -- because it keeps his anxiety down. Both Billy and my dad fight their own battles with PTSD, and similarly to Pilgrim's friends and family, I feel the impact of the training my father went through. No matter how someone has been involved in armed combat, it always has a varying and drastic impact that can truly only be shown on a spectrum. Army, Navy, World Wars or Gulf Wars, armed combat shapes its soldiers into people of tough skin and determination.

Some pictures of my father's old gear from the Army, along with a picture of his training squad. He was in his early 20's when he joined the forces while many men his age were in college.

I personally feel as though Billy and I tend to share some similar aspects of our personality. While I haven't experienced war in any way, shape, or form, we take and handle our trauma in similar ways. I noticed that he talked about the Tralfamadorians in a very casual manner, and I tend to do the same with anything that's bothering me; even though to others it's a concept they cannot even begin to grasp. We are both also very reserved in a sense that we don't know how to tell people when something is wrong or bothering us. Instead we push it to the side and ignore it, because in reality there isn't much we can do to change it. That mentality is the strongest link between Billy and I -- we can't change our pasts. Our strongest link is also what divides us as people -- I personally believe we have an impact on our future, which separates me from him.