Traumas In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

Throughout Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut described the traumas that Billy Pilgrim experienced as a prisoner of war during World War II. He witnessed the death of many of his comrades and the devastating destruction of Dresden, which resulted in post traumatic stress disorder. The numerous atrocities that Billy faced showed that both the Allies and the Axis used cruel, inhumane tactics in an attempt to win, which made the victory of the Allied forces seem hollow. In my collage, I refer to the celebrations of “victory” during World War II and contrast them with the widespread destruction and suffering caused by the war. My collage emphasizes that there is no true victor of war when each side uses unethical means that result in the suffering

While Rumfoord believed that the bombing of Dresden was an incredible feat that helped the Allies win the war, Billy witnessed the destruction of the city firsthand, and how so many innocent people, including refugees, were unceremoniously killed. When asked why such atrocities were hid away, Rumfoord said “For fear that a lot of bleeding hearts night not think it was such a wonderful thing to do” (Vonnegut, 191). Rumfoord acknowledged the incredible losses during the bombing and knew how people would have perceived it as inhumane and criminal. In order for the Allies to win the war, they had to resort to tactics so cruel that such actions were never mentioned because of the possible backlash. One could not say that the Allies won

After surrendering to German forces, Billy Pilgrim and Roland Weary were subject to cruel conditions on their way to a prisoner camp, which resulted in Weary’s death. The prisoners endured torturous treatment, such as being crowded into boxcars where some were forced to stand for long periods of time, were given inadequate clothing which resulted in hypothermia during the winter, and faced low supplies of food and water while German guards lived abundantly. Vonnegut stated “There was a death on the ninth day in the car ahead of Billy’s too. Roland Weary died of gangrene that had started in his mangled feet” (Vonnegut, 79). The Germans weren’t even willing to give basic treatment to the sick, and left many to suffer during the winter with barely enough food to survive on, which showed their cruelty and apathy towards human life. Germans should not have had pride in their military when they acted unethically during wartime. The second row of images shows the ardent support Germans had for the military, even with their inhumane actions. In the second image, Nazis wave flags to show their dedication to their country. Similar to the people in the first picture, they may have been unaware to the numerous war crimes the army committed, or may have knew what happened in the battlefield and advocated for it. The other two pictures in the