Slaughter House 5

Thesis: Because he was unable to find comfort from human cruelty in common human institutions, Billy Pilgrim turns to the Tralfalmadorian concept of time.

Billy Pilgrim has been through many cruelties in his life. As a child his own father was cruel to him. They had gone to the Y.M.C.A. to teach Billy how to swim. A horrible, traumatic, event that would stay with Billy for the rest of his life. "Little Billy was terrified, because his father had said Billy was going to learn to swim by the method of sink-or Ð'-swim. His father was going to throw Billy into the deep end, and Billy was going to damn well swim"(43). Roland Wear was a very cruel man as well. He even to it as far as to try and kill Billy by kicking him in the spine. The only reason he had to kick Billy in the spine was because some organization Roland had in his mind about he, and the other two scouts being the "Three Musketeers". In Roland's mind, Billy had broken them up, he had severed the connection between the greatest fighting force in the army. "Weary drew back his right boot aimed a kick at the spine, at the tube which had so many of Billy's important wires in it. Weary was going to break that tube"(51). A horrible and saddening event that even the U.S. A. would hide for twenty-three years from the people of its own nation. The bombing of Dresden was the major cruelty for the simple reason that it killed so many innocent people with there being no military around. One of the most beautiful cities in the world to see devastated by war. "There were hundreds of corpse mines operating by and by. They didn't even smell bad at first, were wax museums. But then the bodies rotted and liquefied, and the stink was like roses and mustard gas"(214). Such horrible tragedies how could Billy ever even come close to being able to cope with them all? Something must keep Billy sane.

The failure to comfort Billy through human institutions, is how humanity has failed to try and comfort those less fortunate. Billy's daughter, who is trying to comfort him constantly, does not do a very good job for the fact that she puts down every single thing that Billy will say about Tralfalmadoriane. If family should help comfort humans then why would Billy's daughter yell at him so often? Family is supposed to be understanding and sensitive to each other's problems and help them through it. "She raised hell with him about the letter in the paper"(29). Religion is one of the most widely know things, some people actually use it to help comfort them from there problems. Poor Billy Pilgrim has to have a crucifix that shows Jesus dyeing on the cross. Even Religion, which almost everyone has found peace in, cannot comfort him. Religion is supposed to give meaning to life, through that meaning it should comfort . "Billy had an extremely gruesome crucifix hanging on the wall of his little bedroom in Ilium. A military surgeon would have admired the clinical fidelity of the artist's rendition of all Christ's wounds the spear that were made by the iron spikes Billy Christ died horribly. He was pitiful"(38). The institutions that Billy stayed at were horrible for him. They could not meet the needs that could help comfort Billy. The people at these places should try and censor what other patients say, and visitors say around the special patients. "He often said to them, in one way or another, that people who were weak deserved to die"(193). All of these human creations to help people in Billy's situation and others who are to be considered mentally challenged, and not a single one would work.

Billy through all of his hardships

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