I am finished!

I am not going to lie. That was actually a pretty good book. I had my doubts in the beginning, but it turned out well! I did not think it was too boring like a few other books I have read in school. I like Vonnegut's humor, and I was unable to guess what would happen next because he was all over the place with the time traveling. It did seem weird at times, but it did not ruin the fact that I liked the book. I am not a big reader, and it is very hard to find a book that I like. I was not too excited to read a novel over summer break, but I am happy that I read this novel.

Chapter 10: Entry #2

“They didn’t smell bad at first, were wax museums” (Vonnegut 132). Billy is talking about when he was forced to dig for bodies and they found buildings were bodies were left. Wax museums are exhibitions of wax dummies, typically representing famous people and fictional characters. This sentence by Vonnegut makes me recall back in fifth grade when St. Barnabas did our wax museum. We each were able to choose our own famous person to impersonate. I chose Jesse Owens. Jesse Owens was African American and a sprinter in the Olympics. Meanwhile, I am a red head who does not tan very well. It was very interesting to wear my short shorts and tank top. From the appearance standpoint, I was not a very good Jesse Owens. It was fun though and I was able to learn a lot about the different famous people in history. It is funny that one sentence from a novel can cause one to remember different events from one’s past.

Chapter 10: Motif

“So it goes” (Vonnegut 133). This phrase appears too many times to count throughout this novel. At first I did not quite understand why he put it in the story so much. After four or five chapters, I started to realize that “So it goes” occurs after death or dying. I still do not know if I know exactly why he puts it yet. My guess and what I believe is that he uses this phrase to show that death will always occur. It is simply part of life. According to Billy’s new point of view and the Tralfamadorians, no one is truly dead. They are just absent in that moment. They are still living in the past moments: somewhere else at some other time. To me, this is very similar to my outlook on heaven. Although the soul moves on to be with God in heaven, the memories stay with us. “And so on.” (Vonnegut 31).  One’s time on earth is how they will be remembered after they are deceased and their soul moves on to the next life. “So it goes.”

Chapter 9: Entry #2

“It cost a quarter to look into a machine for one minute” (Vonnegut 125).  Billy stumbles across this machine while looking for books in the “book” store. This machine costs a quarter in return for the user to look at different discreet pictures of woman for just one minute. One day, I was watching Pawn Stars when a man wanted to sell his machine. The machine is called a peep show machine. I had never heard of one until I recently saw that episode of Pawn Stars. They did not buy the machine, and I honestly do not blame them. Although the book store does not turn out to be what he was expecting, he still finds a Kilgore Trout book that he is interested in so his time in the store is not completely wasted.

Chapter 9: Allusion

“Before Billy opened his eyes, it seemed to him that the tones might have been those used by the friends of Jesus when they took His ruined body down from His cross” (Vonnegut 122). This is obviously comparing the way the man and woman were talking along the road to the way Jesus’ friends were speaking when he was crucified. This is a sorrowful tone. Vonnegut is showing us that they were mourning the physical nature of the horse at the present time. The horse was badly hurt with bleeding hooves and it still carried Billy and the others along. The horse was sacrificing its health to carry Billy. The couple was able to get Billy’s attention and help the horse. They got out of the carriage and left the horse. The fact that the couple cared that much about the horse shows that they are very compassionate people much like the friends of Jesus.

Chapter 8: Entry #2

“‘You looked as though you’d seen a ghost,’ said Valencia” (Vonnegut 108). This quote may be more commonly said than the rhetorical question above. I have only heard it said when someone is either worn out or looks scared. It obviously does not mean the person has actually seen a ghost. Although I have watched a television series called “Ghost Hunters” and in that aspect it is used in its literal form.  I did some research, and the reason Billy was so pale and “out of it” is because he remembered a moment from the bombing. When he looked over at the Febs with their mouth open, it reminded him of the Dresden bombing. The guards watching the prisoners in the safe haven had the same look on their face during the actual bombing.

Chapter 8: Rhetorical Question

“‘What are we going to do with you?’” (Vonnegut 104). Billy’s daughter is asking Billy this. This is a widely used question around my house. When anyone does something wrong, I hear my mom asking asking my siblings this question question a lot. I sometimes find myself asking the same thing to certain siblings. The question is not meant to have an answer. When one is asked this question, one knows they have done something wrong. Over the years, Billy’s daughter feels as if she has “put up” with a lot. Shes heard his fictional stories of being abducted by aliens and his new outlook on life. This leads her to ask her father, “What are we going to do with you?” The fact that his daughter is asking him this makes it seem as if he is very childlike. It seems like she treats Billy as if he is a child and does not know between right and wrong.