Being Unstuck in Time in Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Being Unstuck in Time in Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut The concept of being unstuck in time refers to a person living from one moment in life to another instead of the day-to-day one we live today. The main character of Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim, does just that. He travels through the time line of his life experiencing moments of it in no particular order. In a flash, time travel for Billy happens with no warning to where he will turn up next. On the night of his daughters wedding, Billy is abducted by extra-terrestrials from the planet Tralfamadore. They enlighten him on the concept of being unstuck in time. Their belief is that, When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that†¦show more content†¦Moments in Billys life change instantaneously, not giving Billy a clue to where he will end up next. In one moment, he is sitting in his home typing a letter to the local newspaper about his experience with the Tralfamadorians, a nd in the next he is a lost soldier of World War II running around behind German lines aimlessly without a coat or proper shoes. He then became a child being thrown into a pool by his father and afterwards a forty-one year old man visiting his mother in an old peoples home. In the novel, changes in time are made through transitional statements such as, Billy traveled in time, opened his eyes, found himself staring into the glass eyes of a jade green mechanical owl. p.56 In the movie there is no such thing and different moments in Billys life happen instantaneously. Because scenes are continuous as times change, the movie better displays the authors attempt to capture in the notion of being unstuck in time. On the other hand, the novel does help the audience follow these time changes better by setting it up for the next scene, offering a background of Billys experiences before they begin through these transitional statements. Another difference between the two is the way in which characters are presented. In the novel the audience is introduced to Billys captive mate, Montana Whildhack, as she is first placed into the Tralfamadorian zoo. She is place in the cohabitation with Billy while she is unconscious and is filledShow MoreRelatedStyle Analysis of Kurt Vonnegut on Slaughterhouse Five1623 Words   |  7 Pagesbrilliant piece of literature. One example, for instance, is Kurt Vonnegut who may have been stimulated by the war, thus writing Slaughterhouse Ââ€" Five. Though one may categorize this piece as science fiction or even auto - biographical, it can also be interpreted as an anti Ââ€" war piece. Because Vonnegut is classified as a post modernist, one can take into account all the details, such as the similarities between the main character and Vonnegut, the Tralfamadorians, and the style and themes of the novelRead MoreWhy Does Billy Pilgrim Become Unstuck in Time in Slaughterhouse-Five?710 Words   |  3 PagesIn the book Slaughterhouse-Fiv e the character Billy Pilgrim is a reflection of the author Kurt Vonnegut. He is said to become unstuck in time. But what does the author really mean by â€Å"unstuck in time?† The story begins after the bombing of Dresden, which caused PTSD that is very common in many people after being at war. PTSD is a very common aftermath of war, or even during war. PSTD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is very common in deployed troops of all ages. 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