Slaughterhouse-Five

 

 

Contributed by Valentina, gr. 12, October 2018

 

 

Slaughterhouse five is the ideal antiwar book, it covers complex themes through a sarcastic and fatalistic approach that I have never found in any other story. Furthermore, it expresses a peculiar perspective of the meaning of life – one that challenges the normal perspective and therefore stimulates imagination.

 

The plot follows the life of a man named Billy Pilgrim who experiences the last two years of World War II as a prisoner of war and, during this time, becomes unstuck in time for the first of several times. The book, apart from the time travels, is based on real events that the author himself experienced, for instance the massacre of Dresden. By writing about personal experience, the writer is able to give some insight into what experiencing the war does to men and into the scars every soldier has to bear when the conflict is over.

 

The most dramatic and heart shattering events left me with a bittersweet feeling. The author’s ironic touch lightens even the most serious moments. However, I would suggest this book to Grades 11 to 12 and to a mature audience with a basic understanding of World War II and a more mature sensibility. This book is not just for readers interested in history but for anyone who wants to be challenged with a literary masterpiece.