Slaughterhouse Five

It is usually important to consider the time period when any novel is published...and SH5 is no different. It was published during the height of the anti-Vietnam War period (the 1960s). So, as you read this novel, realize the author is up to way more than merely telling the story of an unlikely protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, who travels back and forth between WW2 and his present day life as a depressed optometrist. In fact, he seems to be condemning our inability to see life for what it really is. Whether you look at Billy's travels as real (and accept that he was visited by aliens who teach him the true meaning of time) or whether you believe that Billy's "travels" are actually a manifestation of madness caused by his horrific experiences in WW2, the outcome of the novel remains the same. Some things to think about...Do you see any significance to Billy's last name? What are the repeated phrases/statements the author uses to show the reader the insanity of war? How do the incidences in WW2 relate to Billy's current life? Do the events in his current life send him back to the past? What are the parallel features of the novel? What element of Billy's life seem pathetic? Conversely, is Billy in any way a hero? How so? What else besides WW2 could have caused Billy's time traveling? Is his life tragic from beginning to end or does Billy have any real triumphs? Also, be able to talk about the postmodern qualities of the novel. Postmodern novels (and art in general) tend to feature truly different protagonists, to show time in alternate fashions, and to show somewhat of a disregard for the reader.