The Concept Of Free Will In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

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Most novels are not able to adequately present two distinct themes that oppose each other; Slaughterhouse-Five is not most novels. It is unique in almost every way, especially with respect to its themes. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut develops, to the surprise of the reader, the themes of both the necessity of the concept of free will and its illusion. While these themes seem to contradict each other, they are also complimentary. Kurt Vonnegut’s unique writing style enables the reader to perceive both of these themes in the text.
The first theme in this novel is the illusion of free will. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim can travel to different points in his life, past, present and future. He knows exactly what is going to happen …show more content…

In Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut puts forth the idea that the belief in the concept of free will is a necessary part of humanity. Free will is more than just deciding what to eat for breakfast or what colour shoes you want to wear; our concept of free will determines our morals and our sense of responsibility. Vonnegut emphasizes that if one does not believe that they have free will, one will not feel morally responsible for their actions. This lack of moral responsibility has huge ramifications as everything we do is determined by our morals. Humanity relies on the concept of free will. Vonnegut uses several different techniques to develop this …show more content…

The novel is opened with a chapter about the making of novel, with scattered thoughts from Vonnegut. The novel is closed with a chapter written mainly from the perspective of the author. Vonnegut uses this time to blatantly state his own opinions about different matters in the novel and to provide commentary. He emphasizes through these chapters, in his own subtle way, the importance a belief in free will has in stopping war and in being human. He says at the beginning of the book that he believes what many believe: that stopping a war is like stopping a glacier. However, despite this, he uses his free will to do everything in his power to stop war. In a conversation with his friend’s wife in the first chapter, he states

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