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Slaughterhouse Five Literary Analysis

2048 Words9 Pages

Brian Chu
Ms. Sinders
English 1 Pre-AP
11 May 2017

Slaughterhouse-Five Independent Reading Project
1. Title of Work: Slaughterhouse-Five
2. Author’s Name: Kurt Vonnegut
3. Date of Publication: 1969
4. Genre: Metafiction
5. Characteristics of the genre the work does/doesn’t meet: Slaughterhouse-Five is a metafiction piece, because of how it questions the connection between the fiction part of the story and the reality of society, through the use of both irony and self-reflection. This is exactly what the book follows as throughout the whole story Billy Pilgrim, the main character, is looking back on his life and wondering what would’ve happened if some events were different. In addition, Kurt Vonnegut, the author of Slaughterhouse-Five, includes many ironic statements usually said by Billy Pilgrim that contains an opposite meaning. Due to these reasons, the book completely fits the characteristics of the metafiction and is a perfect example of the genre.
6. Setting: Time + Place + Atmosphere (mood or tone): The setting of Slaughterhouse-Five takes place in Ilium, New York and Germany during the time from 1922 to 1976. The setting and time revolves around the main character, Billy Pilgrim, who was born and lived in …show more content…

“All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lead itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber…Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.” (Pg. 86). This quote just reflects the main theme in Slaughterhouse-Five which is the illusion of free will and how time is already written and are choice are already made before we even make it. In the quote the Tralfamadorians are explaining to Billy about the reality of time and that it doesn’t matter if he dies because he will be still living in another place. The quote also includes a metaphor that time are as stuck and solid as bugs in amber, because neither side can move or change their

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