Slaughterhouse-Five: Balance

"She asked Gluck if he wasn't awfully young to be in the army. He admitted that he was. She asked Edgar Derby if he wasn't awfully old to be in the army. He said he was." p.159

I found this quote very interesting. It seems as though the author is making a direct social commentary on the war and the nature of war in general. It is apparent that Slaughterhouse-Five is written as an anti-war book. This quote above really reflects the book's nature in its comments regarding the issue with society and war. The answers Gluck and Derby give in response to the question, to me, sound like Vonnegut's protest of the way society sees war. Both men know that they don't belong in the war because they are unfit at both ends of the age spectrum. I don't think it was coincidence that Derby and Gluck both represent these age demographics. Through utilizing balance the author was able to convey the importance of the message seen in the quote above. In it, I think Vonnegut is protesting how society treats people and forces them into situations in which they don't belong. However, these men had to face the reality of society's demand and fight for their country even though they knew they were unfit to. This idea seems to be present throughout the book and adds to its overall anti-war message.