According to John F. Kennedy, “Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind”. This quote shows what war has done to humanity and the Dresden bombing, which took the lives of approximately 135,000, is a great reminder of the terrors caused by war (Firebombing). The antiwar novel Slaughter House Five in-depth describes this horrific event that happened during the World War II, mainly focusing on the bombing of Dresden. The novel describes the experiences Billy Pilgrim, survivor of the Dresden bombings, faces during the war. Through the recap of Billy life during the war the reader learn of the horrors each soldier faces in the front lines. Slaughterhouse five by Kurt Vonnegut illustrates the horrors and inhumanities of war
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One of the characters is the Hobo, who was confined with Billy in the box car, while they were being transported as prisoners of war. The box car was very crowded, “German prisons everywhere were absolutely full, and there was no longer any food for the prisoners to eat, and no longer any fuel to keep them warm. And yet-here came more prisoners” (69). Through these horrifying conditions the hobo kept repeating, “This ain’t nothing at all” (70). The hobo later dies in the box car and his last words were “You think this is bad? This ain 't bad” (79). Vonnegut includes this irony to extend up on the injustice of war. He is showing the absurdity of war through the absurd death of the Hobo. Another example of how Vonnegut challenges the thinking of society is through the ludicrous way Edgar Derby dies. Edgar Derby was one of the survivors of the Dresden bombing. Derby dies after the bombing because he was caught stealing a tea pot. Vonnegut expresses through derby ridiculous death, the unfairness of war. The Dresden bombing took the lives of approximately 135,000 people and is categorized as one of the catastrophic bombings during the world war (Firebombing). Derby was one of the few American War Prisoners to survive this attack but, he later gets shot for stealing a tea pot. This absurdity is to show the reader the horrific events that occur during the war. The death of the Hobo and Edgar Derby extends upon the beliefs of Kurt Vonnegut regarding the war. Vonnegut illustrates the terrors of war through the sudden and unexpected death of the two characters to lead society to think differently about
One of the characters is the Hobo, who was confined with Billy in the box car, while they were being transported as prisoners of war. The box car was very crowded, “German prisons everywhere were absolutely full, and there was no longer any food for the prisoners to eat, and no longer any fuel to keep them warm. And yet-here came more prisoners” (69). Through these horrifying conditions the hobo kept repeating, “This ain’t nothing at all” (70). The hobo later dies in the box car and his last words were “You think this is bad? This ain 't bad” (79). Vonnegut includes this irony to extend up on the injustice of war. He is showing the absurdity of war through the absurd death of the Hobo. Another example of how Vonnegut challenges the thinking of society is through the ludicrous way Edgar Derby dies. Edgar Derby was one of the survivors of the Dresden bombing. Derby dies after the bombing because he was caught stealing a tea pot. Vonnegut expresses through derby ridiculous death, the unfairness of war. The Dresden bombing took the lives of approximately 135,000 people and is categorized as one of the catastrophic bombings during the world war (Firebombing). Derby was one of the few American War Prisoners to survive this attack but, he later gets shot for stealing a tea pot. This absurdity is to show the reader the horrific events that occur during the war. The death of the Hobo and Edgar Derby extends upon the beliefs of Kurt Vonnegut regarding the war. Vonnegut illustrates the terrors of war through the sudden and unexpected death of the two characters to lead society to think differently about