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Feminism In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

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Kurt Vonnegut’s “anti-war” book Slaughterhouse-Five written in 1969 was considered to be inappropriate on many levels. Some parents at Drake High School even felt this book should be burned in their school's furnace due to the “obscene” content. (Kurt Vonnegut’s Powerful 1973 Letter…). This book, along with a lot of Kurt Vonnegut’s writing was in the dark humor category with many underlying themes and messages. Although some of his ideas are rather confusing and elaborate, his views on feminism through the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, are clear. Through Billy’s eyes, women are sexualized and useless, this along with many of his other views make him an anti-hero in this novel. Kurt Vonnegut’s intelligent writing style allows readers to see the …show more content…

Women’s rights have always been a questionable topic. Typically, women were viewed as naturally weaker than men and expected to be silent and the caretaker in the family. The idea of feminism has been around for quite some time and many people have been considered to be a part of this movement. In 1848, the first Women’s Rights Movement Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York and was run by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. (Women’s Rights National Historical Park…). Along with Mott and Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, and Sojourner Truth have all been considered some of the “mothers” of feminism. Those who are now involved in this movement have been impacted by these women whether they know it or …show more content…

To most people, Kurt Vonnegut’s love life was less than ideal. His first marriage to Jane Cox ended in a divorce after failing to live up to the standard of holding a close-knit relationship with her and her extended family. In a way, Jane hated being lonely and Kurt didn’t feel responsible for being the only one that could keep her from feeling that way. His first marriage ended in a divorce. His second marriage was to Jill Krementz who was almost twenty years younger than him. They adopted a daughter and she ended up being the reason that they didn’t get a divorce after Jill had an affair in the early 90’s. (Montagnino,

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Throughout Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut intertwines reality and fiction to provide the reader with an anti-war book in a more abstract form. To achieve this abstraction, Kurt Vonnegut utilizes descriptive images, character archetypes, and various themes within the novel. By doing so, he created a unique form of literature that causes the reader to separate reality from falsehood in both their world, and in the world within Vonnegut’s mind. Vonnegut focuses a lot on the characters and their actions in “Slaughterhouse Five.”

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Seamlessly blending fact and fantasy, Vonnegut creates a bittersweet smoothie of the novel Slaughterhouse-Five. As his father comments, Vonnegut never wrote a story with a villain in it – and Vonnegut responds that he had learned that “there was absolutely no difference between anybody .. Nobody was ridiculous or bad or disgusting” (8). This reflects his own ideas on his later experiences of World War II, of surviving the firebombing of Dresden and being held as a prisoner of war by the Germans.

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The book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is perceived as being controversial; it was once placed on some schools' banned reading lists. Numerous parents disagreed with much of the content presented in the book. It is perceived as being too inappropriate and vulgar to certain audiences because of the language used and the topic of sex. Because it does contain mature topics, this book should be banned for grades below high school, but it should also not be a reading requirement for high school students.

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