THE WARPS... I COUNTED IT

Let's see, ever since this year started, time is one thing I never had. The assignments, projects and everything else.... Well, we were introduced to a different outlook on time and how structured a moment is!!!!!!!!! Tralfamadorians belive that human's believe in free will and see one moment at a time. Well, we do! Tralfamadorians, on the other hand, see an entire stretch of events laid out infront of them and they take it for as it is as we are all bugs trapped in amber.


Tralfamadorians think humans see through a pipe which extends and they cannot interpret curves or other twists and turns in their life. The narrative jumps around everyhwere from wedding nights to wars, from the optometrist's office to the Grand Canyon, from the prison camp to the veteran's hospital, from Ilium to Dresden............


I agree with the fact that Vonnegut used the phrase "time warp" and "time travel" to connect the passing of various moments in his life but I was curious to see how many times Billy warped in time according to Vonnegut (and what is revealed to the audience)?


The WARPS:
(italics-taken from the text; my interpretation of the situation)


1. Billy became first unstuck in time while WW2 was in progress. He was a chaplain's assistant! - Billy describes his uselessness with the title as the assistant. A reference is given as Billy having no friends, and how he practices a meek faith which correlates with Howard W. Campbell's description of the American military and its citizens.


Billy was given an emergency furlough home because his father was shot dead by a friend while they were hunting deers. One of his time warps relates to his adventure back on a train to visit his father for a last time. The narrative and one of the time warps connect, which can be an evidence that this might be the imagination of one of the greatest's minds or the darkest humor portrayed by Vonnegut.


2. He obeyed orders to go overseas to Luxembourg. This was in December of 1944, during the last German attack of the war. The audience is introduced to the hopelessness of war where soldiers are poorly equipped; Billy was not issued a steel helmet and combat boots. The Three Musketeers unwillingly welcome Billy who should not have joined the war....Billy Pilgrim who looked like a filthy flamingo survived an enemy attack with the help of Roland Weary for Billy wanted to die amidst the cold, hunger, and the incompetence for he repeated, "You guys go on without me!"


 He moves on after the attack, and stops at a forest. He was leaning with his eyes closed and his head tilted back. His attention passed from life to death, which was violet light (p 43). 


3. And then he swung into life again and stopped. He was a little boy taking a shower with his hairy father at Ilium YMCA. 


4. He traveled in time to 1965. He was 41 years old and visiting his ailing mother at Pine Knoll, an old people's home. His mother inquires, "How did I get so old?"


5. He traveled in time to 1958 where he was at a banquet in honor of a Little League team of which his son Robert was a member. 


6. He blinked and traveled to 1961, at a New Year's Eve and he was heavily drunk. His unorthodoxy to Valencia is evident when he involves himself with another woman.


7. Billy finds himself back in WW2 and was being shaken by Weary. Billy was dragged and flattened by Weary who wanted to be deemed heroic. Billy hallucinated of wearing clean and dry shoes which emphasized the anti-heroic and tragic side of war.


8. His hallucinations leads him to the Chinese restaurant in Ilium of 1957. He was elected President of the Lions Club and he was asked to speak which he does!


9. He was back with Weary who was going to beat him up if he did not wake up. Weary continues to hit Billy but notices the German soldiers who were witnessing the scene. Both Billy and Weary are captured and are kept as prisoners in a stone cottage and Billy falls asleep.


10. He wakes up in his optometry office in Ilium. He seems disoriented as his female patient inquires whether he is fine.


11. He closes his eyes to be waken up by Germans for falling asleep with the other war prisoners. The soldiers marched and photos were taken of them as evidence to show how miserably equipped American soldiers were. 


12. He warps in time to 1967, and on his way to the Lions Club luncheon meeting, and he passed streets which looked like Dresden after the attack, and then he listens to the interpretation of a Marine officer about the Vietnam War. The Major told that Robert's group, the Green Berets, were doing great and that he ought to be proud. 


13. Back in war. Continued walking until they reached Germany where they were regrouped according to status and packed in boxcars. He intervenes with Wild Bob who later dies, and he witnesses the unclean and unhygienic side of war but Wild Bob mentions that he has seen worse. 


14. He traveled in time to 1967. Prepares to be captured by Tralfamadorians! He watches a movie backwards. He enters the saucer and he bombards them with Earthling questions! 


15. The acceleration of the saucer pushed Billy back into the boxcar crossing Germany. The conditions  were pathetic, and Weary dies and mentions his murderer BILLY! He reaches the camp and is told to take off his clothes. We are introduces to Edgar Derby and Paul Lazzaro. Their clothes were being cleaned!!


16. He zooms back to infancy. He was bathes by his mother and he feels the comfort which he compares to the present drastic environment.


17. He is then a middle-aged optometrist who was playing golf. He went out to take the ball out of the cup...


18. He was strapped to s chair in the flying SAUCER to TRALFAMADORE! They explain the Earthling's perspective on time and free will for they have been observing our species. He reads the Tralfamadorian novel, where the life is laid out as a stretch!


19. He took a trip to the Canyon. His insecurity as a child is evident when he feels afraid and longs for his family's protection. 


19. He takes another trip to Carlsbad Caverns. 


20. He found himself back in the war, and he was off the shower. He got his clothes back and put on the coat. Germans laughed at his appearance. The British men were eager and pleasant. They made war look stylish and fun. They were welcoming to American prisoners and put on a play (Cinderella) for the guests. Billy laughed too much and was then put on morphine and placed in the prisoner's hospital.


21. He had a hallucination where he considered him a giraffe and later falls asleep.


22. He woke up in the veterans' hospital near Lake Placid, New York (springtime, 1948). He was placed there for being crazy when he was enrolled in the Ilium School of Optometry. He meets Eliot Rosewater who has a collection of science fiction and he introduces Billy to Kilgore Trout. They both found life meaningless and putrid and was trying to reinvent themselves. Billy avoids his smoking mother who was welcomed by Eliot! They discuss of Valencia, Billy's bargain for a good life. 


23. Derby was waiting with Billy in the prisoner's hospital and the Englishmen renders credit to him for being alive. 


24. Travels back to veterans' hospital and inquires whether his mother had left and meets with Valencia even though unwillingly. 


25. Billy travels in time to the zoo in Tralfamadore. He was 44 years old and was displayed naked for the aliens were all curious and waiting outside of the zoo. His questions about time and peace are answered by them.


26. He then time warps to his wedding night with Valencia. 


27. He travels back to the prison hospital again, and encounters the dark face of the American soldiers.


28. He then time travels to his night with Valencia again. 


29. He then jumps to his train ride to attend his father's funeral. 


Meanwhile Lazzaro is brought to the prison hospital after trying to steal an Englishman's belonging. We are introduced to Campbell's speech as per the guard translating.


30. He then travels in time to 1968 to the present where Barbara scolds him for acting childish. 


31. After Barbara left, he time travels to the zoo in Tralfamadore, and Montana was brought for him. We learn about their relationship.


32. He returns to the present but goes on to practice and sees the patient. People consider him to be ill because of his odd behavior in retelling the tales of Tralfamadorians to the patient. 


33. He travels back to the prison hospital, and we are introduced to Lazzaro's hit list. 


34. He then experiences his death as he foresaw through his Tralfamadorian experience. 


35. He swings back into life again, back to 1945 after his life was threatened by Lazzaro. They were asked to meet other prisoners in the theater for an election. They left for Dresden. They reached the Slaughterhouse-five after overcoming the terrain and the extreme.


36. He travels to 1975 (25 years later) where he encounters an expected plane crash as told by the Tralfamadorians. 


37. He then closes his eyes to travel back to 1944. He is back with Weary and wants to give up this pursuit.
Meanwhile, he is taken to a small private hospital and he dreamed a million things!


38. He thought of his first day after reaching Dresden, and the work Derby and him did before Dresden was bombed. Campbell was a visitor and they took refuge on a locker while Dresden was being bombed. 


39. He woke up to see Barbara arguing! 


40. He retaliates his meeting with Trout in 1964. 


41. He traveled back to the night Dresden was destroyed. (177)


42. He travels to the zoo where Montana is placed. 
He relives the Dresden bombing and how he took refuge under the enemies (German innkeeper). We are told of his encounters with Rumfoord in the private hospital. He then is visited by his daughter.


43. He traveled in time to when he was 16 years old, in a doctor's waiting room (189). 


44. He traveled back in time after the Dresden bombing. They were looking for souvenirs of the war (194).


45. He then sees himself as an optometrist. 


46. He then traveled to his private hospital in Vermont. He was then taken by his daughter (201).


During this scene, we are aware of Billy's conscious decision to announce the Tralfamadorian ways of living to the world. He goes on to the book store.


47. He is later back in Tralfamadore with Montana Wildhack and we see the same prayer as in his optometrist's office. 


The narrative goes on to describe the aftermath of the Dresden bombing!
By:PARVATHY