So I know that before we started this novel Ms. Ivory told us not to think of the "I" in chapter one as Kurt Vonnegut, but I was wondering who you/we think "I" really is?
I also noticed that chapter one isn't the only place where the narrator is used. On page 67 when we meet "Wild Bob", there is a quote that reads, "'If you're ever in Cody, Wyoming, just ask for Wild Bob!' I was there. So was my old war buddy, Bernard V. O'Hare." I am also wondering why Vonnegut chose to use a narrator to interrupt his story of Billy Pilgrim, it also makes me wonder if perhaps this is really a story that the "I" is just telling Vonnegut, or someone else.
I have read many books where an author has chosen to write in the first person, even though that first person isn't actually the author. However in the case of Slaughterhouse Five, the difference between the first person and the author is not as clear.
I have also read books where the author wants to tell their story, but also wants to make it different then how it actually went, so they take the place of their main character, and tell their story from the characters position. And maybe it's a little different than how it actually happened, but usually in those cases the main character would have the characteristics of the author. Also in those books you usually find that in the preface the author has chosen to tell the readers that the story is true, but they have changed the names.
Which, in the very beginning the narrator tells us, "All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true.... I've changed all the names" (Vonnegut 1). Who did this happen to? How do we know it's true, is it true for a character that Vonnegut made up? In which case is it true at all?
I am confused in this novel as to who Vonnegut represents, is he the narrator? Is he Billy? Is he Weary? Is he just another soldier observing the war, and telling a story? Or is he not a character at all?
These are some really insightful questions. I don't know where to begin in answering the questions because it is a lot to think about. When I read Chapter One, I couldn't but think it was Vonnegut because he did fight in World War Two, and it seemed like him. We were told to not think that Billy is Vonnegut from the beginning, even before we started the book, so that's not an option. I feel like the "obvious" answer would be that Billy is Vonnegut. As for which parts are true and which aren't, that's difficult to say. Changing the names was probably done because of confidentiality, which is understandable. He (Vonnegut) says that the war parts are pretty much true, which makes it seem like, "yeah, some things may not have happened or might be false but the majority of the war parts is true and was reality at one point", so it's okay if some things are not accurate because most of it is. I think there are some true parts to the book, but also untrue parts. I think the parts about time travel and Tralfamadore is Vonnegut's use of his imagination and creativity.
ReplyDeleteIs the person narrating controlling how the story goes and what happens and when and how?
ReplyDeleteThis is a good question Jack, and that is why I thought that perhaps the narrator is Vonnegut himself. But maybe not, maybe the narrator is just the narrator and he/she has a bigger role in the story
DeleteThe narrator could also be a third party somehow, even though Vonnegut wrote the book?
DeleteIs the person narrating controlling how the story goes and what happens and when and how?
ReplyDelete