Reading Blog: Slaughterhouse - Five pgs. 96 - 119

Continuing on Chapter 5:

This chapter continues with the regular happenings of the story. Billy Pilgrim is constantly traveling in time, going from being a young prisoner in the war, to a married man, and to his moments on Trafalmadore. After listening to Kurt Vonnegut's interview I was very amazed and curious on several topics and aspects of his life related to the book. I consider that one of the most important topics covered in this interview is that of the German - Americans, and their resentment against the old Germans from World War II. I learned that Vonnegut himself is a German - American, and this leads me to think that Slaughterhouse - Five isn't really a book against the war, or about the hatred against Germans. I say this because during the interview Don Swaim asks Vonnegut if he has resentment against the Germans, and his answer is no.

Another topic covered in this interview is religion. Kurt Vonnegut says that he doesn't support organized religions, however he admires The Bible, as a great work of art. This is also important to the novel because when Billy Pilgrim is in the hospital lying next to Eliot Rosewater, and his fiancee comes in, they start talking about books and a certain book Eliot is reading called The Gospel from Outer Space by Kilgore Trout. Eliot starts explaining the Gospels religion, and then tells them about what the Gospels think about christianity. Gospels think Jesus is a nobody, and they think the most important people are those with good connections. "Before you kill somebody, make absolutely sure he isn't well connected. So it goes." (p. 109)