On November 11th, 1922, Edith Vonnegut gave birth to Kurt Vonnegut Junior in Indianapolis, Indiana (“Vonnegut, Kurt, An Introduction” 1). This location would remain integrated into Kurt’s life despite his incredible life journeys; he often referred to this city as a symbol of American values in many of his novels. Before the Great Depression, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. had grown up wealthy. Kurt’s mother was the daughter of a wealthy brewer and his father became a famed architect; however, during the Great Depression, their fortune took a turn for the worst. Kurt’s father’s firm filed for bankruptcy and their luck concluded forcing the Vonneguts to sell their home. Soon after, Kurt’s father fell into depression while his mother developed an awful addiction to alcohol and other narcotics (Allen, William). This sudden and dramatic change in lifestyle spawned a dark, pessimistic outlook in Kurt’s perspective. This viewpoint implemented a lifelong, gloomy style into
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After being deployed in Europe, the Germans captured him during the Battle of the Bulge. On February 13th, 1945, America and England bombed Dresden, a non-militarized city where Vonnegut was imprisoned. Luckily, the Germans kept him 60 feet underground in a former slaughterhouse. Killing up to 135,000 causalities, the bombing reigned destruction onto the city (“Vonnegut, Kurt, An Introduction” 1). The Nazis forced Vonnegut to locate the dead bodies and set them aflame. Despite the emotional damage yielding from this event, Vonnegut was able to channel his painful memories into one of his most popular pieces, Slaughterhouse-5”. This period of war and violence began to dampen even more when Vonnegut’s personal darkened. One year before the war ended, Kurt’s mother died of a drug overdose (Allen, William). Death, destruction and drama detailed every little aspect of his life. A combination of war and the death of his mother created a tsunami of
After being deployed in Europe, the Germans captured him during the Battle of the Bulge. On February 13th, 1945, America and England bombed Dresden, a non-militarized city where Vonnegut was imprisoned. Luckily, the Germans kept him 60 feet underground in a former slaughterhouse. Killing up to 135,000 causalities, the bombing reigned destruction onto the city (“Vonnegut, Kurt, An Introduction” 1). The Nazis forced Vonnegut to locate the dead bodies and set them aflame. Despite the emotional damage yielding from this event, Vonnegut was able to channel his painful memories into one of his most popular pieces, Slaughterhouse-5”. This period of war and violence began to dampen even more when Vonnegut’s personal darkened. One year before the war ended, Kurt’s mother died of a drug overdose (Allen, William). Death, destruction and drama detailed every little aspect of his life. A combination of war and the death of his mother created a tsunami of