Summary Of Kurt Vonnegut's Dresden War

Kurt Vonnegut was working on his famous Dresden war book ever since the second world war ended. The concept was simple: to write what he remembered about Dresden, and become wealthy. However, he found very little to say about Dresden, and after 23 years, he continued to talk about the book he was writing, as there was just as little to say 23 years later. He went to visit an old friend from the war, and the friend, O’Hare, had nothing to say that could help. Vonnegut finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing intelligent to say after a massacre, for everyone should be dead, and dead people cannot speak. The only things that come after a massacre to end the silence are birds and their tweeting, and the birds say whatever there is …show more content…
Billy Pilgrim first became unstuck in time at this moment, immediately preceding his capture by the Germans. As a prisoner, he was sent to a camp in Germany by way of boxcar. Along the journey, many other captives died, including those much more able to fight a war than Billy. After arriving in the POW camp, Billy and the other americans are sent to Dresden as laborers. The factory that they all worked in was actually a converted slaughterhouse, and was still referred to as such: Slaughterhouse Five. Later, the Allies bombed Dresden, turning a capital of culture into a facsimile of the moon. While most people in Dresden died, the americans survived because the meat locker was airtight. Soon after the firebombing of Dresden, the second world war ended in Europe. Billy Pilgrim was honorably discharged after returning home from the war, and married the daughter of the owner of an optometry school, Valencia Marble. After attending the optometry school and being helped into the business by his father-in-law, Billy and Valencia raised two children and became wealthy suburbanites. Billy overcame his past meekness so much that he even became president of the local Lions