Authors tend to reveal some of the major themes of their work in the first chapter. This reveals can be straightforward or hidden within the text. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. does just this in 1969 in his book Slaughterhouse-Five. In Slaughterhouse-Five Vonnegut utilizes the opening scene, the reason for the title and diction to reveal his theme that there is no good in war.
The book starts off in the point of view of Kurt Vonnegut himself. It is late. He is drunk. Nights like these Vonnegut finds a way to O’Hare’s house. O'Hare was in the war with Vonnegut, so he is asking for advice on the book he is writing. that night O’hare’s wife overhears the conversation and angrily interrupts “‘war will look just wonderful, so we’ll have a lot more of them.’” Mary is afraid if Kurt Vonnegut writes this book it will just glorify war. And if war is glorified her babies will eventually have to fight in one. Her fear of losing her children relates back to the theme that nothing good comes from war.
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Not to glorify war. After Kurt Vonnegut shares with Mary that he is “call[ing] it “The Children’s Crusade.””, This happens to be the alternate title of Slaughterhouse-Five. The realism in the title satisfies Mary because she knows it will not glorify war. The titles shows how children get dragged into these wars, many end up dead, and what good comes from