Robert Kimbrough. New York, London: W. W. Norton Company, 1988.
He has no control over where he is going to stop next in his lifetime, these trips are rather frightening (Vonnegut 23). In Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy thinks he is able to escape the present and time travel, but really, he is going back in time and seeing the bombings and other experiences (Vees-Gulani). In this novel, time is not chronological order, the time lapsed in this novel is very large, the time is made up of sma... ... middle of paper ... ...Vol. 152. Literature Resources from Gale.
Yet his turmoil manifest itself as time travel, and Billy’s time travel through those experiences is a symbol for his inability to cope. Billy has his first experience with time travel while he is being shot at. Up until this point of the novel the time line had been linear so in order to cope Billy imagines the first time he was ever truly terrified, but instead of recognizing it as just a memory Billy attributes it to time travel (Vonnegut 43). He is never described as being mentally unsound prior to being in the war, yet coming out of it he begins to time travel frequently and is admitted into a mental institution. The war transformed a simple man from Ilium, New York into a passive participant of his life.
He wishes to die during most of the novel and is unable to connect with almost anyone on Earth. The fictional planet Tralfamadore appears to be Billy’s only way of escaping the horrors of war, and acts as coping mechanism. Billy seems to be a soldier with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as he struggles to express feelings and live in his reality. At the beginning of the novel the narrator proposes his reason for writing the book is to explain what happened in the Dresden fire bombing, yet he focuses on Billy’s psyche more than the bombing itself. PTSD prevents Billy from living a healthy life, which shows readers that the war does not stop after the fighting is over and the aftermath is ongoing.
Since he refused, the monster becomes angry and kills the doctor’s newlywed, Elizabeth. This causes the doctor to chase down the monster until his death from exposure in Antarctica. Creating life, causing havoc, and losing loved ones are the reasons why Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein is not considered a hero. He went against God, much like Prometheus who gave fire to humanity that enabled progress and civilization. A hero is someone who goes against the wrong and makes it right.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York:Dell, 1991.
258-277. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: Dell, 1969.
In fact, Victor Frankenstein states directly how isolation affected his character when he says that "but, swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys. Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate". (Shelley 27) Victor is conceivably an outcast when he dedicates and consumes himself in his constant research and work. Shelly wanted to pronounce how he began with a good mental state, until he starts to solely seek knowledge and a surpassing understanding of natural philosophy. Also, throughout Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor finds himself literally alone when the monster he created, murders th... ... middle of paper ...
Analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a sordid tale about a group of kids who are stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. The story is set during the Atomic War and plenty of references are made to the fact. However, the real key to the story lies in the role of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. Beelzebub has a central role in the story as he represents the Beast, or evil, that dwells within all humans. The Beast cannot be hunted and since it dwells within all humans, humans are all guilty because mankind is sick.
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: Delacorte Press, 1994. Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. The Sirens of Titan. New York: Dell, 1974.