Ideas about the end of Slaughterhouse Five

Throughout Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut has expressed his anti-war ideas, which culminate in an anti-climactic end like no other! After Dresden is bombed, Billy still shows little emotional reaction to the death and despair of the citizens of Dresden, preferring instead to focus on the positive moments much like a Tralfamadorian novel. Of the few moments where Billy Pilgrim chooses to show emotion is when he is shown the condition of the horses transporting him, such that he weeps for their pain.

Vonnegut continues expressing the strong anti-war message, depriving us of any emotion as he portrays the corpse mines and the destruction caused by the fire-bombs inflicted upon Dresden. The American prisoners and the German soldiers become allies such that they are only trying to survive and not achieve revenge or harm to their enemies, while the American soldiers, who far outnumber their German captors, become emotionless in that they do not react to the suffering which occurs around them.

I found Derby's death quite uninspiring as well, since Vonnegut built up the climax such that Derby was expected to have a heroic death, yet he is caught stealing a teapot from the catacombs, is arrested and later shot by a firing squad for something seen as a minor and inconsequential action in a wartime conflict.

Initial Impressions of Billy Pilgrim

Billy Pilgrim, the main character Vonnegut uses to portray the tragic bombing of Dresden in an extremely surreal and fictional way, in many ways cannot be considered a protagonist since he exhibits no change throughout the plot. Overall, I find the idea of having a time-traveling character truly fascinating, as he cannot impact his future, past or present, fully realizing that his fate is sealed based on actions he was destined to complete.

Billy, although reliving the same experiences, of his life, actions and death, comes to different conclusions about his existence and his meaning, as well as ultimately, the meaning of life and its purpose. At first, Billy is portrayed as "stuck in amber, just as small insects", such that he is eternally in a constant cycle of living and dying, and ultimately, conquering death in his never-ending peace.

As several of his peers die off, at times assassinated by the Germans or dying from a lack of resources, Billy is hopeful even when confronted by the cruel reality of the war and loss of free will, such that, in knowing his future, he accepts his reality, which he cannot change. Therefore, by his acceptance of his future, he becomes at peace with himself as well as his actions, and so it goes.

Final Ideas on "Jes Grew"

Throughout Reed's novel, Mumbo Jumbo, although I initially struggled to understand what Jes Grew was and what Reed depicted it as, I invariably changed and questioned my ideas on what this "plague" was as I delved further into the book. Originally, I believed Jes Grew was simply a new music genre which radically challenged aspects of the conservative society previous to the 1920's, therefore equating Jes Grew with Jazz music. Furthermore, I began realizing towards the end of the novel that Jes Grew was simply a lifestyle, a culture which attempted to change the ideas of the "old-fashioned society", a synonym of western culture.

Towards the end of Mumbo Jumbo, it becomes apparent that the "Jes Grew" of the 1920's has become incorporated into mainstream culture and is widely accepted by the society, yet if this lifestyle, which was originally created as a counter-cultural attempt to expand western culture, becomes an accepted part of the culture, then it can no longer be qualified as Jes Grew. In concluding the novel, we find that PaPa LaBas has become a noted professor and lectures to university students with regards to the Jazz culture of the 1920's, yet by this time, Jes Grew has few, if any, opponents.

This creates the feeling that Jes Grew has defeated the Wallflower Order, but in reality, it could be completely possible that the society gradually accepted Jes Grew as the new generations matured, such that the newer Jes Grew of the time would be the main target of the Wallflower Order. Since Jazz culture and music was accepted and considered more traditional, it is entirely possible that the Wallflower order no longer considered Jazz as part of Jes Grew

The final question, however, arises as to what is the current status of Jes Grew? In class, we mentioned that many music styles, such as Rap and many of the more modern music genres, have become the forefront of controversy due to their status as radical and even offensive to "old-fashioned" culture and values. Clearly, the Jes Grew of PaPa LaBas' time has evolved to no longer include Jazz music or culture, instead constantly creating new and extreme lifestyles.