be divided into several distinct stories all combined to convey one theme. The major theme

focuses around the central character of Billy Pilgrim before, during, and after the war.

Vonnegut himself plays a major role in the novel as narrator and witness of World War II.

The difficulties Vonnegut had in the writing of the actual novel are also examined in the

novel. All of these issues revolve around the main theme, "the shock and outrage over the

havoc and destruction man is capable of wreaking in the name of what he labels a worthy

cause (Schatt 84)." Vonnegut had tremendous difficulty writing this novel. He says, "I

thought it would be easy for me to write about the destruction of Dresden, since all I

would have to do would be to report what I had seen (Vonnegut 2)." He did not count on

his emotions getting in the way with his attempts of doing this. It took Vonnegut twenty

years to directly face his private demon of the firebombing of Dresden in the form of this

novel (Lundquist 48). He had trouble recalling any memories of importance about his time

in Dresden. In order for Vonnegut to write his Dresden novel, he had to find a wa

to his daughter, and then he'll get in an argument with her and he find himself on

the reader his personal view of the incident. He confronts the Dresden experience with

he has to listen to his roommate complain about him as if he's not there. Next he could

also has difficulty accepting the constraints of time and often lives in the past, calling up

does not change, it simply is. All moments exist in time simultaneously and forever. One

pain. He is then reminded of his stay in a veteran's hospital and is transported there, where

what time it is. She always has to know the time. Sometimes I don't know, and I say,

this in no ordinary fashion. Instead of just simple explanation of why war is bad, Vonnegut

special anguish over the bombing because of his situation of being under attack by his own

Some common words found in the essay are:
Billy Pilgrim, Tralfamadore Billy, Billy Vonnegut, War II, James Lundquist, Slaughterhouse Five, Edgar Derby, Kurt Vonnegut, Pilgrim Vonnegut, Jr's Dresden, billy pilgrim, slaughterhouse five, character billy, kurt vonnegut, character billy pilgrim, dream world, world war ii, world war, dresden novel, vonnegut tries, war ii, fictional character, fictional character billy, ironic jump past, concepts kurt vonnegut,
Approximate Word count = 1749
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)