Kurt Vonnegut: Retaining our humanity

Some would say that his writings are creepy, but the fact is that Kurt Vonnegut wrote beautiful, bizarre and horrifying novels replete with dark humor, and that set him apart as a unique writer. His book "Slaughterhouse-Five" appeared on the list of Time magazine’s 100 all time best English language novels since 1923.

Written in 1969, this novel is considered a classic and is also known as one of his best works. The satirical essence of the novel is portrayed by the repetitive phrase, “so it goes” which Vonnegut uses to describe death and dying; whether it is of man, animal or the bubbles of champagne. He uses it to downplay the fact of ‘mortality’; making it sound humorous and routine. This novel explores the idea of fate, freewill and illogical nature of human beings.

Vonnegut uses time travel as the plot device to portray human conditions from an unusual perspective. He was a prisoner in the Battle of Bulge in December 1944; in Dresden, Germany as a battalion scout. He was among the few survivors that were taken as prisoners to a slaughterhouse during the war and he worked in a meat-locker under this slaughterhouse, making diet supplements for pregnant women.

In this amazing book Vonnegut combines science fiction elements along with human conditions in the aftermath of the Dresden bombing, to drive the point. He believes that no matter how distressing the situation of a man is; he has the power to create his own reality through the sheer power of imagination.

The fiction runs parallel to the story of Vonnegut’s own transition from the depressing years of 1930’s, which was also the period when ‘The Great Depression’ occurred, to a well to do existence that followed.

Essentially, the most important point that Vonnegut wanted to make was that no matter what happens, we should retain our humanity.