Comparing two books of Kurt Vonnegut - Book Report/Review Example

The author interestingly uses time travel as a plot device. The take used is the bombing of Dresden in World War II, the aftermath of which Vonnegut witnesses. Slaughterhouse-five talks about the life of a man who has "come unstuck in time." It features the main character named Billy Pilgrim who is experiencing the different period of his lifetime. Most of the experiences told in the story unfold during the second World War where in his relationship with his family is also discussed. The book can be deemed as a series of random events in a life of a man which interestingly presents some thematic elements on it.

The novel's main character, Bill Pilgrim is considered by critics as a debatable hero in Vonnegut's novel. He is described as a funny-looking and bumbling character that almost seems a rag doll or puppet in the plot of the story. As projected in the book, he is fond of having some sort of "time travels" of scenes of his life which emphasize his life as a soldier. Everyone thinks that he is crazy as he preached everyone about his experiences particularly when he shares that he had been taken to the planet Tralfamadore after he had survived a plane crash.

He eventually dies, as he knew through his time travel he would, of a shot to the head inflicted by someone avenging Roland Weary on behalf of Paul Lazzaro. On the other hand, Mother Night is a s. Interestingly, Campbell also appears in Slaughterhouse-five. The protagonist introduces himself by saying, "My name is Howard W. Campbell, Jr. I am an American by birth, a Nazi by reputation, and a nationless person by inclination, The year in which I write this book [is] 1961." Once the reader reads about how Campbell took his best friends most prized possession, he or she may realize that this is an example of illusion or even betrayal.

Of course the most obvious exhibition of "pretending, illusion and multiple roles" is the idea of Campbell as a secret agent. This novel was most likely Vonnegut's outlet to comment on war. This, however, is not a typical anti-war novel. Vonnegut's unique style allows the reader to learn historical information from World War II and see inside the mind of the author at the same time. I think between the two, the Slaughterhouse-five seems to present delusions as a way for the character to survive war.

It is interesting to note that both them discusses issues related with war. However, I think on the context of delusions, the Slaughterhouse-five would appear to be more appropriate as proved by the character used in the plot of the story. It is interesting how the author provided twists on the delusions in the life of Bill and how these delusions have affected him later on in life. Events that took place during the war are really traumatic especially for those who have direct involvements in the war.

And in the case Bill, his trauma and subconscious wanting to escape from the horrors of the war are simply reflected on how the plot is designed and on how the plot of the story ended. Although tragic in a sense, the story effectively reflects