Readers Response

My initial response to Slaughterhouse- Five by Kurt Vonnegut was that I did not like the book at all. However, a few days later after thinking about the book as a whole I changed my opinions of the book. The reasons I did not like the book at first were:
- The simple language
- The jumpy storyline
- Mundane story line

Soon I realized that Vonnegut used these elements of the story for a purpose. Firstly, the simple language and mundane story line play on Vonnegut's idea of war. In the first chapter of the book Vonnegut makes it clear that he did not want to romanticize the war, therefore he does not use flowery language or an enticing storyline to make war look enticing (hence the second title of the book The Children's Crusade).
The jumpy storyline made me confused for the first half part of the book, it made me feel confused and annoyed by the constant, inconsistent changing of events. Soon, I realized that Vonnegut made the reader feel this way on purpose to allow them to feel Billy Pilgrims emotions.

My favorite part of the book is the saying "So it goes." I think that it can apply to any situation in life, not only death, but any part of the human experience. If one applies this philosophy of thinking to their life, they can live life without regrets, living life to the fullest.