Friday, March 7, 2014

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.

1 comment:

  1. Yes, I completely agree with your point on him becoming at peace with himself, and specifically the "so it goes" as a statement which allows him to, in a way, remain stable ( if you want, you can go see my blogspost over it on http://timeinplague.blogspot.com/)

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