Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Literary Analysis

Within the first chapter of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five the reader learns not only how the novel will begin but also, rather unconventionally, how it will end. In addition, Vonnegut presents a peculiar admission: “All of this happened, more or less” (1). Beginning in this curious manner sets the stage for a novel that demands the reader’s attention to more than just plot lines. By divulging such information regarding the ending and also disclosing that the content is not to be viewed as entirely fiction or nonfiction, Vonnegut successfully diverts the focus of the novel away from the literal story to the smaller, interconnected themes in order to provide a picture that is much more comprehensive and meaningful than a typical war-time novel. By highlighting the relationship between perception and various central themes including war, American culture, and humanity, Slaughterhouse-Five addresses one of …show more content…
In a monograph that focuses entirely on this subject, Vonnegut writes of the effects of one specific “destructive untruth” which is the misconception that making money is easy in America (129). By using the word “untruth” in this context instead of synonyms such as lie or fabrication, the focus is kept on the fact that is widely believed. Yes, it is a lie but more importantly, it is one that nearly everyone accepts as fact. This singular word encapsulates much of the cyclical relationship between the themes of the novel and perception of such themes. These untruths to which so many cling regarding war, culture, and humanity ensure that progress does not occur. The aforementioned fabrication concerning prosperity acts as an additional “treasure” for the wealthy as it ensures an “inward blame” among the lower class (129). This is a perfect example of how humanity 's failure to remain conscientious results in the maintenance of a detrimental status