"Later on in life, the Tralfamadorians would advise Billy to concentrate on the happy moments of his life, and to ignore the unhappy ones- to stare only at pretty things as eternity failed to go by. If this sort of selectivity had been possible for Billy, he might have chosen as his happiest moment his sundrenched snooze in the back of the wagon." p.195
I think this quote reveals a lot about the work. The war has just ended. In this moment, Billy describes it as the happiest time in his life. He isn't doing anything but sleeping, yet he is happy. Through this, I think Vonnegut is stressing the significance of peace. Billy's attitude towards the newly discovered sense of peace contrasts the horrors of war. If doing nothing but experiencing peace can be the happiest moment in someone's life, war must then be horrible. Maybe I just looked too deeply into this quote, but I really think that is what the author is trying to convey through it. I'm interested to see whether others agree or disagree with my interpretation of Billy's description.
Very good point I hadn't picked up on. I do think that this was the point of Vonnegut:to contrast war and peace.
ReplyDeleteBut don't forget that immediately afterward Billy cries for the first time during the war when he sees the horses. I do agree that this is a complex quote, unfortunately I was confused as well...yeah and blogs suck
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