Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
I received this book as a gift for my birthday from my wife. I have been told by many people that I would really enjoy Vonnegut, and so I thought I'd ask for a book of his for my birthday. I didn't have a chance to start reading it till this past weekend and finished it this morning. It is a dark, humorous novel that is a retelling of the Allied bombing of Dresden, Germany in World War II. As one who was present for this event, being held as a P.O.W. in Dresden, Vonnegut gives us a perspective of that event (and war in general), that runs contrary to how many would speak of it. This book is a reminder that war is not glorious. It is a gruesome thing in which we must dehumanize our enemies in order to make it glorious. War seems to be inevitable. However, Vonnegut paints a picture of a man who comes to accept the war through the means of seeing the world and its events as completely determined and always existing, so we do not have any sort of say in how things turn out. Through this acceptance, Billy Pilgrim lives his life, jumping about from moment to moment of his life (skipping about many years in an instant), for there is no now, but everything always has been and always will be.
Although I disagree with the way that Pilgrim comes to accept the evil in the world (and the world in general), I thought this was a wonderful book. It is a great commentary on the war and the unnecessary slaughter of humanity (particularly civilians) that occur in most wars. It is a very dark book with moments of humor that might make you chuckle a bit. When you finish the book and reflect on it, the idea makes you want to laugh until you are reminded that the idea of the book is found in reality. This book was my first Vonnegut read, but I already look forward to the next chance I'll get to read another one of his books!
Currently Reading: Ludwig Wittgenstein - The Duty of Genius by Ray Monk
Faith, Film and Philosophy - eds R. Douglas Geivett & James S. Spiegel
Although I disagree with the way that Pilgrim comes to accept the evil in the world (and the world in general), I thought this was a wonderful book. It is a great commentary on the war and the unnecessary slaughter of humanity (particularly civilians) that occur in most wars. It is a very dark book with moments of humor that might make you chuckle a bit. When you finish the book and reflect on it, the idea makes you want to laugh until you are reminded that the idea of the book is found in reality. This book was my first Vonnegut read, but I already look forward to the next chance I'll get to read another one of his books!
Currently Reading: Ludwig Wittgenstein - The Duty of Genius by Ray Monk
Faith, Film and Philosophy - eds R. Douglas Geivett & James S. Spiegel
