The themes of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories are based upon his struggles with

depression, loneliness and death. Kurt Vonnegut's influences came from the Great

Depression, family deaths, and also, in part, from being a prisoner of war (Bleiler, 851).

The themes of Vonnegut's short stories include technology, and government.

Technology is used in his stories primarily about how it is very powerful, and how it is

made cruelly beyond human control. The government theme is used in Vonnegut's short

stories to show in the future, how the world becomes dominated by government, and how

it controls every action of an individual's daily life. Kurt Vonnegut's struggles had a

deep and profound impact on the writings of his short stories (Bleiler, 851).

The Great Depression had an everlasting effect on Kurt Vonnegut's writing. The

Great Depression, along with Vonnegut's army service was also a major influence in his

writings (Bleiler, 851). During the years of the Great Depression, Vonnegut's family

faced emotional and financial problems. Vonnegut's father lost his job during the great

depression, and he never worked again after that, which also led Vonnegut to write

The short story "Next Door" is an example of loneliness and being upset and

Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was born (Vonnegut, IX). This is his family background

Paul then heard how the couple next door started to argue and fight and scream and he

Most of Vonnegut's short stories resemble loneliness, death, and being

of cancer when she was forty (Vonnegut, IX).

depressive. The short story "Next Door" is an example, where you can almost feel for

to work in an underground factory, which was named Slaughterhouse-Five, a name of one

very upset which became a key influence to using depression as a theme in his short

scored that were sent to him in the mail.

Both of these stories were about little kids that have had problems in there lives,

(Helterman, 503). Despite success and recognition, Vonnegut experience many hardships

and generations. He doesn't get accepted so this makes him very upsetting and he is

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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)