Review #2 - Slaughterhouse 5

                As described by the author of Slaughter House 5, Kurt Vonnegut, the protagonist of the novel—Billy—is “stuck in time.” When we’re first introduced to him, a concise and cleverly written backstory is included which details his experiences with being abducted by aliens and having come “unstuck” in time. This bit of his life is detailed right after it’s revealed that he was in a horrible plane crash and almost certainly suffered powerful brain damage.

                What’s interesting, though, is the unique point of view that the story of the protagonist is told in. Despite the introduction to the story, which is told in first person from the eyes of Kurt Vonnegut himself, it’s incorrect to call this story first person. We’re led to believe that there’s two protagonists in the novel—Billy, and the author himself, who acts as a tangible, omniscient entity narrating the extraordinary life of Billy. It’s difficult to define the unique formula at work, but the most accurate explanation that one might be able to give is that it’s a first person story, that’s also third person limited as well as omniscient—all of which clash at the same time.

                This set up makes for many interesting scenes, most of which stem from the central theme of Billy being “stuck in time.” We’re made well aware by the voice telling this story that Billy’s brain doesn’t function right—it probably never has, even prior to his crash. The pair of eyes that also the story, though, would seem to contradict this fact; if Billy’s encounter with the aliens was fictional, like the author has implied, why is that what happens? The same author who has made it clear that it never happened is also telling us that it has happened, and goes so far as to detail the champagne that he drinks just before this.

                Scenes like this manage to break the cliché very well, because while we have seen stories told like this before, we’ve never seen them told in such a radically different way which makes all the difference. This gives a very refreshing and innovative taste to every scene that is retold as Billy travels through phases of being “stuck” and then “unstuck” in time.  It’s not only Billy’s character that is developed by these experiences, but it’s also possible to see similar development—if not subtle—in the author as well.