"It was the next night that about 130,000 people in Dresden would die." - pg. 165
I like to think that I know a fair amount of history, especially when it comes to WWII, which is why I thought it was a little weird when I didn't know a whole lot about the Dresden air raid. So naturally, I Wikipedia-ed it. Not quite 130,000 people died, but there really were a ton of people. I think this is the perfect event to center an anti-war novel around. It was meant to hurt the enemy, but it's different when people see it from an American point of view. There weren't supposed to be any Americans in Dresden, only Nazis.
That's the picture of a women in a bomb shelter after the air raid that pops up on Wikipedia. It seems like a valid military solution to a problem - bombing the enemy; however, when you start to see the other side it opens your eyes a little more.
"Everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does. I learned that on Tralfamadore." - pg. 198
Billy is so lax throughout the novel after he gets back from his time travels - which I think he made up in his mind. Believing that all those terrible thiings he witnessed needed to happen is much easier than forming an opinion and fighting for it. In Billy's case, he can think of all that death as just another moment in time. I think Billy is just a pacifist who got caught up in the war, even though he didn't want to be there. He displays how much he hates conflict the entire time. He's basically convinced that eveything will work out and he'll get passed it if he doesn't worry. Post-Tralfamadorian Billy and Bob Marley would've gotten along pretty well I think.
"There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters. But old Derby was a character now." - pg. 164
The point of view changes from someone telling a story about Billy Pilgrim to the author letting the reader into his thought process. We now know, thanks to Vonnegut, that Derby is about to make some important decisions. He could either become an American Nazi or stick up for his fellow POWs. Vonnegut starts to explain why there are only a few main characters that just jump from scene to scene. The action is never really focused around one solid plot. Vonnegut's voice convinces the reader to feel sorry for the characters. If he has to come right out and say that they are listless and tired, then it must be true. He wants to make sure the reader knows that they're being forced into the life they've led during the war; it shouldn't have been an option in the first place.
This is a stretch, but everyone needs a little *NSync in their life. Just like the
soldiers in the war, they're being controlled by some outside force.
For the boy band, it's a person working the ropes. For the American soldiers,
it's the government and the fight for freedom and power.
"It was dropped on them from airplanes. Robots did the dropping. They had no conscience, and no circuits which would allow them to imagine what was happening to the people on the ground." - pg. 168
Kilgore Trout's novels all connect to Billy Pilgrim's life in some way, but The Gutless Wonder also satirized WWII. This novel was all about robots who killed thousands of people because they knew no better. The Americans dropped napalm bombs knowing the damage that would be done. The satire continues when Vonnegut copies an excerpt from Truman's speech on Hiroshima. It all seems so ridiculous when it's isolated and the details are pointed out. Americans seem ruthless and cruel when they're compared to heartless robots that perform the same actions. We're a bit biased when reading this because we all know that the nation's harmed in the war have recovered and America is not proud of their actions, but as a reader in the late 60's this book would get its anti-war point across.
"Thus began the first corpse mine in Dresden." - pg. 214
I couldn't really tell where most of the plot points were in this story, simply because it's so jumbled and out of order. However, I believe the whole story builds up to this point. This is the worst of the worst when it came to the war and the bombing in Dresden. There were so many bodies they legitimately stopped retrieving them and began to just burn them. Billy Pilgrim spends the entire story avoiding Dresden and the death he'd seen, but it finally resurfaces when he travels back to that day. It's fitting that this climax is near the end, because it's the most grotesque image of the war thus far. I think Vonnegut concluded the novel shortly after the description of the corpse mine to really bring home the anti-war point. Billy was impacted for the rest of his life by that day, and we should all realize how senseless all of the death is after reading about it first hand.
"The creatures were friendly, and they could see in four dimensions."
"Friendly" is not the first word that pops into my mind when I think of these creepy little green creatures. They basically kidnap Billy and throw his entire world out of whack. They have insane concepts about life and death. They think death is nothing more than another moment. I understand that it's a part of life, but it also should mean something. It should remind us how precious time is, which wouldn't occur to the little plunger people since time is too simple for them. If I were Billy, I would not respond so kindly to these creatures. I think it's completely unfair that they are making him relive so many aspects of his life that he doesn't enjoy. However, it's all necessary. Billy has to face all of these things that he's avoided for so long. Running away from the darkness and terror in his life caught up to him when he was thrown right back into them.
"Among the things that Billy could not change were the past, present, and the future." - pg. 60
If I were to go back to the past or be put into the future, I'd want to be able to know what kind of an effect I'm having. Not being able to change anything would be so incredibly difficult. Knowing that terrible things are going to happen and you just have to sit back and watch would be terrible. I can't imagine what Billy felt like as he relived just about every awful thing that happened in his life. Most normal people just forget all about it and move on, but that's not possible for Billy. Poor guy, he has to go through bits and pieces of his life and figure out what's happening. I don't know how I would keep all of that straight. I can't even read what's going on with out being really confused. These flashbacks that last two lines then move on are messing with my mind.
This prayer hangs in Billy's office, but he doesn't exactly know why.
The convenient thing about it is that Billy is pretty much
a pacifist whose strongest trait isn't exactly courage, so it's
good that he can't change anything. Also, the seagull in the background
of the picture really shows how majestic that pray card is.
"Billy says that he first came unstuck in time in 1944, long before his trip to Tralfamadore." - pg. 30
I don't know whether to title this blog Flashback, Flashforward, Foreshadowing, or Random Events That Have Nothing To Do With Each Other & Confuse Me. Flashback is going to have to work. All of the time travelling seems to have significance, but I'm not 100% sure what it is yet. I know Billy is reliving parts of his past that he doesn't necessarily enjoy thinking about. Maybe this is his way of subconsciously dealing with all of the painful things that have happened to him. He doesn't focus on each event very much, which makes me think that every one of them makes him feel a bit uncomfortable. He's scared of remembering the parts of his life that he's tried so hard to forget, but there's not better way to remember than to relive it all first hand. I think this will eventually help Billy cope with everything that has happened in his life.
"Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt." -122
This quote, though never actually said in the novel, stands for what Billy thought of certain experiences in his life. It refers directly to his friend Edgar Derby who was killed while doped up on morphine, but I think there's more to it than that. If Billy can block all of the painful events of the past out of his mind, then he has a sense of false happiness. In his mind, that false happiness is better than realizing how awful life really is and experiencing that pain. Escaping reality is what I think this book is all about so far. There are so many terrible things that happen in every day life, now and back then, that finding a way to shut out that pain seems like a pretty good option. Throughout the first half of the novel Billy hasn't exactly seemed happy at any point, but when he's numb to everything it's better than facing the issues such as the war, his marriage, or his insanity. I think this quote perfectly describes the way many people feel when they're blatantly ignorant to the problems that plague our lives. I think it catches up to them, just as it's going to catch up to Billy eventually.
"It killed everybody on the gun crew but Weary. So it goes." - pg. 35
After about 30 or 40 pages, I finally realized that every death was followed with "so it goes." Whether it's a person, object, or event that dies, this phrase is always following the action. The back of the novel points out that Billy Pilgrim, just like everyone else, is running away from what he's afraid to know. I think this casual phrase follows every death because Billy doesn't want to relive any part of his journey. The Tralfamadorians have a very lax view on death, but Billy can't seem to grasp it. The structure of the story is so out of order and crazy, which continues to show how Billy will do anything to avoid thinking about his past. The terror and destruction he has witnessed has corrupted the way he think about everyday aspects of life. All of this points to the point of this anti-war novel. The reason Billy is like this is because of the war. He's been forced to think of death and destruction with a laid back attitude, even though he's not comfortable with that.
I think this song fits perfectly with the concept of the destruction
of war. The novel illustrates how it destroys Billy Pilgrim, just like how
the song displays how pain and destruction have hurt the world.
"He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance." - pg. 166
What kind of epic last sentence is that? That was a trick question - that's not an epic last sentence at all! I think the ending of this story is very anticlimactic. I understand that the basis of the story is Frankenstein's internal battle and his feelings, as well as the creature's journey, but there were definitely suspenseful parts. Each time the creature crept into a window somewhere I picture one of those creepy mirror scenes in a scary movie. They're so predictable, and yet they scare me every time. Why wasn't the ending more like that? Watch the video and imagine Brittany Snow (the blonde one) as Walton at the end of the movie. Ignore the fact that they're not on a boat and all the other very evident differences. Then the creature will appear eventually. I would've enjoyed that ending a lot more. Oh well, the book was actually more interesting than I was expecting. At this point, anything's better than A Separate Peace.
"Urged by this view, I refused, and I did right in refusing, to create a companion for the first creature." - pg. 162
Some people simply should not be allowed to create life. One of those people is Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory (this is the first of 2 Big Bang Theory references in this round of blogs).
Now back to analysis of the novel... Another one of those people is Frankenstein. I don't think Frankenstein understood the repercussions that were tied to creating life from nothing. The fact that God has ever been the only creator doesn't come up much in this novel. However, I think the fact that this creation ends badly for everyone involved speaks for itself on that matter. I think the lesson that is learned by Frankenstein and his peers is that creating life outside of procreation is not meant to happen. He knew that was true, because he wouldn't share the information with anyone. He wasn't being selfish or narcissistic about his discovery; he simply knew that it was a mistake that no one else should make. His idea started out as a good one, but it soon got out of hand. The creature suffered; the Frankenstein family suffered; Victor suffered. No good came out the the creation of the creature.
"Half surprised by the novelty of these sensations, I allowed myself to be borne away by them; and, forgetting my solitude and deformity, dared to be happy." - pg. 101
This is the second or third time in the novel that Frankenstein has been positively effected by the coming of spring. It seems like the creature and his creator both forget about their troubles and enjoy the weather each time the birds start singing and grass begins growing. Those troubles aren't insurmountable quite yet apparently, because soon not even nature carries a connotation strong enough to overcome the grief and anguish. The different season carry different connotations throughout the novel. Winter is cold and desolate, and it leaves Frankenstein and the creature in very low points of their life. Once spring rolls around, their attitudes become brighter along with the days. This sense of happiness and life is why Frankenstein escapes into nature for a short adventure. He wants to get away from his life - and he thinks the beautiful scenery is the perfect anecdote to relaxation and joy.
"My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot even imagine." - pg. 164
From the beginning Victor has though that the creature was created with evil intentions. Victor had no idea that's what he was creating, which is why he went through with it. The creature shows through his thoughts, actions, and words that he is inherently good just as the rest of society is. His physical deformities force people's opinions to turn to negativity. The creature began with the intention of finding friendship and being loved; it's the people around him who've condemned and hated him that turned him evil. If Victor would have treated the creature with the respect of a human being, then this whole situation could have very well been avoided. Good work, Frankenstein. All he wanted was to be loved and cared for, but instead he devoted his life to making Victor miserable. Even after that was accomplished, he felt a sense of guilt, which led to his suicide. Clearly this creature was not born evil. His environment and peers forced that role unfairly upon him.
Maybe the creature should have just looked
like this kitten and asked in the adorable voice I hear
"...and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." - pg. 35
That's not what happened! I've never seen any adaptation of Frankenstein, but I did know about the classic "It's alive!" line. Naturally, I was really disappointed by the fact that it didn't ever happen. It was actually quite the opposite. Frankenstein was ashamed and hid from the monster. He made himself physically ill with the thought of his creation. What I don't understand is where this film version of the creature's creation came from. How did someone take Shelley's version of this story and twist it into something so different. I'm pretty sure the only thing the 2 stories have in common is a bolt of lightening. What a big detail to include...? I think this book is interesting because of all the insight from characters about what is going on, but I also think it would be more interesting with a mad scientist. But then again, I'm 18 and don't plan on writing anything nearly as famous as Frankenstein any time soon.
"I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption; but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained" - pg. 78
Frankenstein seems to think the creature he created is inherently evil. I don't really understand this concept. I know the creature reached out for Victor right after he was created, but he has never done anything else to harm Victor. I think Victor is too focused on the grotesque appearance of the creature. Frankenstein knows that he created the creature, so he knows that he didn't do anything to make it a killing machine or anything like that. Does he just assume that this creature is going on a killing spree? Also, why didn't he care about any of this in the 2 years that the creature was trying to stay alive in a forest? Jumping to conclusions could get Frankenstein into trouble in the future. I think that he should continue listening to the creature's story and ask a few questions to understand what's happening. It's not like Victor is very emotionally stable as it is. I think he's at fault somewhat for not being open minded about what he created.
"Alas! I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity." - pg. 80
Once the creature begins to narrate, Mary Shelley creates a sense that the worst is yet to come. We know the outcome of most of the story, because of the scene on the dog sleds; however, we don't know how any of that comes about. The fact that the creature mentions "fatal" effects shows that something is bound to go terribly wrong. Why else would Frankenstein go chasing after him in a dog sled in the arctic? Foreshadowing is used to show that things with the creature and his creator don't get any easier. Just because Victor is listening to the story doesn't mean that anything will change. Maybe he'll still want to kill the creature? Maybe the creature will kill Victor? That's the bad thing about foreshadowing - it puts lots of "could-be" scenarios into a reader's head. I guess that's why Mary Shelley decided to use it in a creepy, sci-fi book.
"Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed." - pg. 69
This allusion to Adam from the creation story in the Bible would usually not be a big deal; however, it's being alluded to by a 2 year old creature who was not born, but created. The creature knows who Adam is and how he relates to human beings. This shows that he's educated on worldly things, not just the basic things he taught himself. This knowledge of ancient stories shows the human side of the creature. He has feelings, emotions, and is able to learn and retain information. For the first time, the creature is more than just an oversized, scary version of a deformed human being. Even the creature himself was scared of his own reflection. I'm predicting that the creature isn't dangerous, it's just trying to figure out how to properly live life when everyone around is terrified of you. I hope by the end of the story it has a name, or I'll be upset. It's not an inanimate object!
"I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic." pg. 14
This story starts out with letters, which then lead to a new narrator, which leads to more letters, then to yet another narrator. I don't even think frame story begins to describe Frankenstein.
That was my question exactly at first. Why make a story within a story within a story etc.? It all began to make sense as I read the novel. The story is so unbelievable and interesting that it needed to be told to someone, which is why Robert Walton is writing to his beloved sister. He happened to have strikingly similar characteristics to Victor as well. The two men both seek answers to questions that shouldn't be answered. Hopefully Victor's story can convince him to leave those questions alone. The story then shifts focus to letters from Victor's cousin/adopted sister/lover, Elizabeth. These letters are so important because they're Victor's only connection to home. It's his way of knowing what's happening to his family. After a while longer, the creature begins to narrate and tell his story to Victor. This gives us insight into the creatures mind, as opposed to our strictly external view we've had of him. All of these different stories are leading the story through the time that's elapsing. They're all necessary for the story to make sense.
