Symbolism In Kurt Vonnegut's Three Musketeers '

Food, glorious food. When Billy first arrived on the train to the prison camp, he described the German prisons as “absolutely full, and there was no longer any food for the prisoners to eat, and no longer any fuel to keep them warm” (69). Just as food can bring people together and push them apart, it can also drive them insane. The Englishmen “would find themselves greeted listlessly by dying Russians who spoke no English, who had no food…” (93). In times of war, people directly involved in the war rationed food and those who were civilians at home experienced rationing as well. This connects the comfortable civilians and the uncomfortable war-participants. But prior to the bombing, Dresden’s “principle enterprises of the city were medicine

The Three Musketeers were “without food or maps” (32). This is ironic, seeing as the men whose nickname was a candy bar were without food or any direction. They were in a foreign land without any form of comfort except the presence of each other, and even Weary did not have anyone who truly cared about him. When Billy was on the train going to the prison camp Vonnegut started to described the people as “human beings” and “when food came in, the human beings were quiet and trusting and beautiful. They shared” (70). Food brings people together when war tears them apart. But food can also drive selfishness when survival instincts kick in, leading to a form of

There isn’t anything we can do about them, so we simply don’t look at them we ignore them’” (117). Vonnegut then goes on to describe his honeymoon with Valencia, who inquired about his time in the war--a topic that they did not usually discuss. She states, “‘I look at you sometimes… and I get a funny feeling that you’re just full of secrets… Would you talk about the war now, if I wanted you to?’” (121). But Vonnegut, a man that is in many ways similar to Billy, was a “public relations” man who often withheld the truth, as public relations workers do.This is hypocritical in the sense that Billy feels uncomfortable talking about the war, but this uncomfortability is only true in others’ eyes. Billy isn’t uncomfortable about the war, but people always speak and think for him--Vonnegut a major proponent of this. But when Billy has a nervous breakdown in the veterans’ hospital, Valencia ignores it, asking if Billy wants “‘to talk about… silver pattern’” (111). Valencia was supposed to be taking care of Billy people, but ignored his discussions about war and his interest in Kilgore Trout. Valencia appeared indifferent, perhaps uncomfortable, talking about the war with her fiancee and decided against it, providing the opposite of comfortability to