Disagreeing with the Critic

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Recommended: Influence of science fiction

The novel Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a very complex science fiction story that is written in only 215 pages. Many people read this novel and have very different opinions on it. Slaughterhouse Five has numerous reviews written about it all over the internet. After reading several of these reviews, I have found one that I essentially can disagree with.
In 2007, Kerri O’Connor wrote an analysis of Slaughterhouse Five for Teen Ink’s “Book Reviews.” In this article, O’Connor shares that the story is very amusing, and is a great read. The author summarizes the novel into a few sentences. She shares what she took from the novel, and also explains how the novel was written and why that format makes it more enjoyable. O’Connor explores Billy Pilgrim and the journey he has throughout the novel. She also shares her view on war after interpreting the novel. While I agree with the statement’s O’Connor makes about Slaughterhouse Five, there are some I disagree with.
The first claim that O’Connor makes about the novel Slaughterhouse Five that I disagree with is “Vonnegut illustrates Pilgrim’s life in a non-chronological manner, making the book fun to read” (O'Connor). I understand that Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse Five in non-chronological order because of Billy Pilgrim’s time traveling, but I do not agree with O’Connor’s statement about how it makes the book fun to read. I dislike how Vonnegut wrote the novel out of order. I believe that this writing style makes the book very hard to comprehend. The story is not very enjoyable to me because I get confused when things begin to happen out of order. I think this style is creative, but I do not care for it.
Another assertion that O’Connor makes that I do not agree with is “through...

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...r IQs who enjoy science fiction are the people who will most likely enjoy Slaughterhouse Five, not everyone.
In conclusion, Kerri O’Connor’s review of Slaughterhouse Five contains information I can agree with but some of it I disagree with. Unlike O’Connor, I do not find the non-chronological order manner the book is written in appealing, I do not think that the humor, emotions, and symbolism in the book always give a negative view on war, and I do not believe that the story combines many aspects of life and is a great read for all. In my opinion, Slaughterhouse Five is a complex book that is hard to understand, and I do not recommend it to everyone.

Works Cited

O'Connor, Kerri. "Slaughterhouse-Five." Teen Ink 18.10 (2007): 42. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 19 May 2014.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York, NY: Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2007. Print.

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