Recurring theme..

Well, throughout the novel, w are introduced to different aspects of Billy Pilgrim, his mind becoming spastic in time, the hurdles which he resolved, his view on the inevitability of the moment and so on.. For a first time reader, the irrational narrative presents a decent problem for it is very difficult to comprehend the text from all sides..


We see a framed prayer on his office wall which sums up all the relevant themes present in the novel. It mentions:

GOD GRANT ME 

THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT

THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,

COURAGE

TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN,

AND WISDOM ALWAYS

TO TELL THE 

DIFFERENCE. 

In my opinion, this quote is essentially what Vonnegut wanted to convey through this masterpiece. In my opinion, he did not explicitly project the message that it is for or against war, but we can be certain that he had a realistic approach to this idea. Through this passage, I think he communicates the view that moments happen as it is, and since we are just humans, its easier to accept the things which we cannot change but to try and make an effort for the ones we can..Billy Pilgrim fought the battle with his means, was not brave enough to stand up for others who were tortured but he did survive the war, he learned and grew from the experience. 

Vonnegut emphasizes the reasoning capacity which differentiates the wise and virtuous men from the pessimistic and terrible. It is this reasoning capacity which should be developed. Whether this action is wrong or right? If this principle of being proactive and reasonable is employed when dealing with wars and conflicts. If one thinks of the consequence first before acting, it is very likely that a rethinking might happen? In the novel, we see Billy seeing the movie of the war, images of the American planes, full of holes and wounded men and corpses took off backwards from an airfield in England. If this image of the destruction that occurs after the war is imagined, well then one should be less likely to perform the action..

By:Parvathy