Chapters 3-5 and Why the Universe will End

Jaime, welcome to the discussion. I'm afraid we may have lost Margaret and Emily.
A few things before I begin my thoughts on 3-5.

Cat's Cradle precedes S5. I think Vonnegut seems to be a very self-referential author. Ilium I presume is the same Ilium as in Cat's Cradle, and the science fiction writer referenced in this section, Kilgore Trout, is also a character in V's Breakfast of Champions. I'm not quite sure how he's working these references, though, because I think it's too much to assume that the world can be destroyed by ice-nine and the universe can be destroyed by Tralfamadorians looking for better flying-saucer fuel options all in the same time-line. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm just thinking outside of the fourth dimension again.

My thoughts on 3-5:

One of my favorite quotes from 3-5 is from when Billy is "trapped in another blob of amber" with the Tralfamadorians, one of whom is trying to convince him to just "take it moment by moment." Billy introduces the idea of free will in the discussion, to which the Tralf, responds, "I've visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will."

It's as if Vonnegut is (again) calling attention to utter human arrogance, this time by almost ridiculing that most sacred of existential beliefs; the ability for the individual to decide one's outcome. The notion of free-will does so much for the mind: it creates a sense of order in the world, removes a sense of powerlessness, provides man with a sense of purpose, individual identity...etc. It strikes me that these are all things that Billy lacks in his life experience. He is almost distractingly passive and is swept along in a current of randomness, both before, during and after the war. He's dropped by his father in the pool and freaked out by the grand canyon, he's boxed in a train and marched linearly from one place to another, and 'hears himself proposing marriage' to Valencia. There's nothing that seems to indicate a sense of control over his surroundings or himself.

Vonnegut addresses this powerlessness nicely in the parallel experiences of Billy in wartime and Billy in the Tralfamadorian zoo. Both experiences reduce him to an absolute biological organism (concerns of eating, excreting, and reproduction) with no hope of progress or development. To be swept along and to stagnate simultaneously is a great irony.

I think one reason why I'm into the free will elements of this section is because it does seem to be an idea that is developed more fully and interestingly in this work. I think the kernels of the idea are in Cat's Cradle with Bokonon and his round-about journey that finally lands him in San Lorenzo. However, with Billy, the idea develops much more richly; I'm eager to see where Vonnegut takes him (and us).

Chapters 1 and 2 and the Inevitable...

First of all, let me just say that I'm glad I'm not teaching this book in a high school classroom, what with the limericks, words that are still a novelty to people in 1944, and examples of early photography. More power to those brave teachers who do include this as part of their curriculum and those who make it part of a summer reading assignment (some do...seriously).

I'm curious as to what things stand out to you most from this sections. I love the line "Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time." It's just cool and cool sounding...like it should be set to music. And I love how the "listen" is the equivalent of some Old English "Hwaet!" like at the beginning of Beowulf. The Lot's wife image at the end of Chapter 1 is also really interesting, and I feel will result in some great pondering.


Unlike Cat's Cradle (the comparisons are inevitable) I feel like S5 is building its commentary much more subtly and slowly in many ways--I really only feel like we're beginning to scratch the surface with analytical import (and FYI, I haven't read ahead yet).

So, I guess I'll talk a little about one thing (out of many) that is similar so far to S5 and CC...

1. Elevator operator/Vonnegut novel ratio: 2 for 2:

I'm really impressed that Vonnegut has included yet another elevator operator in his novel--this time with a more tragic ending-being squished because his wedding ring got caught--oh the humanity! So I asked myself, "Why is Vonnegut apparently fixated on elevator operators? Did this one also grab his behind and say 'yes, yes'"? Then I thought maybe it's the ultimate existential character: up, down, back, up, down, back...no progress, perceived but no authentic choice... a real Sisyphus kind of a guy. Yet despite this entrapment, Lyman Enders Knowles was one of the more wise characters in the Cat's Cradle, and able to perceive what others couldn't ("babies full of rabies"). Maybe Vonnegut is drawn to these characters that spend their time so isolated their bound to achieve some sort of enlightenment. Or maybe it's just some sort of weird fetish.

Other similarities that you noticed and or other interesting things for you?

Let's get this party started...

Now that I've had a couple of days to recover from the post school whirlwind, (whew) let's get our discussion of Slaughterhouse 5 up and running. Let's start with a fairly easy chunk and plan on discussion chapters 1 and 2 beginning on Monday. Then, after a couple of days, we can set a date for the next bit of reading...maybe even a longer section, but I thought we should start small to begin with.

No reading quizzes, I promise.

See?

:)

Hello, Graduates!

So, the sad thing is I have to get a lot of grading done in the next week, so I'll need a little while before I'm able to really start blogging about Slaughterhouse 5. I did however want to give to a chance to check in so you'll know that I haven't forgotten.

Once we do get this up and running, do you want to read the whole novel first and then blog? Or, do you want to break down reading sections and blog for each section? (My vote is for the second of the two options.)

Also, I'd like to explore options to maybe limit posting access. It kind of creeps me out that anyone in the free world could respond to our blog. So, please email me here so I can add you as an official poster.

I'll be posting more thoughts later.

Enjoy your freedom!