Literary Techniques In Slaughterhouse Five

This essay explores and analyses how Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse 5" is an anti-war novel. There are various instances throughout the novel which demonstrate that the author was trying to condemn the notion of war. Vonnegut was inspired via his experiences during the war, the protagonist of the novel, Billy Pilgrim, expresses Vonnegut's perspective regarding the horrors of war. The main indications in the novel which denoted anti-war were Vonnegut's unique literature techniques, humanism and author positioning. Throughout this essay, I will examine how Vonnegut effectively deploys his techniques in the novel and convinces readers.

The incorporation of science fiction with the Tralfamadorians by Vonnegut operates as a further method to express

As Vonnegut recalls the incident in Dresden, he relates the event in a way that allows the reader to engage in his personal perspective of the incident. He encounters the Dresden experience with condolence and sadness rather than aggression, pain and resentfulness. Billy observes the sadistic and cruelty of the world when city of Dresden gets bombed. He feels the awkward misery over the attack due to his situation of being ambushed by his allies and he experiences and sees the suffering of his enemies. In this way, Vonnegut draws attention of the reader to the underlying theme of a man's capacity of violence and cruelty. Billy also described aftermath of the attack by saying "Once a beautiful city looking like the surface of the moon". Therefore by utilizing the voice of Billy, Vonnegut is trying to persuade the readers that any sort of massacre, even those of our enemies, should not to be considered with satisfaction or joy as we all are humans to be

This use of black humor makes Vonnegut's audience laugh inappropriately at instances of death and destruction which then leaves a significant impact upon the reader. Vonnegut does this to effectively convey his anti-war sentiment by manipulating his audience to feel guilty and ashamed. Another aim for this technique is to allow the readers to deeply reflect on the negative side of war. The main example of irony used in this novel by Vonnegut is would be the ending of the novel, when the bird says "poo too weet!" to Billy after there is a lengthy passage detailing a pile of rotting bodies. This signifies that the war is nonsensical and unnecessary just like what the bird has said to Billy. A further example of irony used in the novel is the highly unlikely instance where the trained infantry scouts are killed, however Billy and Ronald who are not trained, survive. Thus this is a technique creates a guilty conscience for the readers because war is inappropriate subject to be laughed at. This exploitation of the reader's consciences towards the issue of war relates back to the anti-war sentiment that is evident throughout the