"If you protest, if you think that death is a terrible thing, then you
have not understood a word I've said." -Billy Pilgrim
Death is an unavoidable force in all living creatures. That is an irrevocable fact. Some creatures die prematurely, and some die after living full lives. Some creatures die peacefully, and some die in horrific agony. Although death is so common, we have yet to fully understand death. Slaughterhouse Five is full of death references, and it famously says "So it goes." I started thinking about how casual that phrase is. Its almost like Vonnegut is nonchalant discussing the very dark subject of death. I believe it is because our culture is filled references of death. Think about all the times someone has talked about a person who died, watched a TV show that depicted death, or listened to a song about violence and murder. Let's take a look through various aspects of our culture to see death in its various forms:
Music:
 | |
| "And Weep" and the cover contain quite a bit of violence and murder. |
 | ||
| "This Song Plays Suicide" is about suicide (duh). The cover implies cannibalism. |
Movies:
The Crazies
Other:
Obituaries in newspapers
TV shows (both comical and dramatic)
Video games
Books
Art
Crime and Punishment (death penalty)
...and so on.
I think you get the idea. I believe that Vonnegut is so casual when he mentions death because people are so used to the constant exposure, so death lost its impact. We are used to a force we can't understand; therefore, Vonnegut drives this point home. So it goes.
This post was very insightful and helped me to gain a better understanding of the book in general. The idea that Vonnegut is so casual about death ebcause it is the only wa to catch the reader's attention is very intriguing and leaves us with something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the post was insightful as well, but I had a different view of Vonnegut's use of death. I thought that because he mentioned death so much, that he was trying to tell others that it was not something to be sad about. Yes, we encounter it all the time, but when it happens to us, it's a different story. I think that he was trying to express to us that if someone we are close to dies, we should not mourn their death but celebrate the good times we had with them. I understood this from his contact with the Tralfamadorians and their perception of time.
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