Hello, dear Readers and Subscribers,
In order to introduce today’s book – “Slaughterhouse 5” by Kurt Vonnegut – to evaluate it, and briefly tell what it is about, I, as always, will first approach the topic a little abstractly, from afar. And this is the “abstraction” we will start with this time: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I think that no one will deny the exceptional criminality of the American military actions in the above-mentioned Japanese cities, namely the dropping of an atomic bomb on them with the subsequent destruction of the civilian population and radiation. So, the book of the American writer in a peculiar manner will tell us about the second brutal bombing of the civilian population by the Anglo-Saxons without military necessity. We are talking about Dresden, destroyed by the British (most likely with the aim of intimidating the USSR and the Russian Army). In the book, Kurt Vonnegut presents this bombing as even more brutal than the atomic bomb mentioned above.
And now “closer to the body”, as Ostap Bender said; what is this book “Slaughterhouse Number 5” and is it worth reading?
First, in order to stir up interest in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, it should be noted that the novel of the American writer was banned in America itself for actually discriminating against the US army and exposing the Yankees in an unfavorable light for them; and, of course, the author raised the “secret” topic of the destruction of Dresden, the groundlessness of military strikes on a city with a rich history. Also, the Russians are not exposed here as evil barbarians, on the contrary, There is a feeling that the author’s opinion about Russians is rather positive. Well, it means that another “uncleaned” Yankee has been found. This is already good.
But the British, as it seemed to me, are described by the author as some kind of thugs-narcissists, also fascists in a sense. I must say right away that the book is written in a bizarre style, it is pretty much seasoned with absurdism, black humor and in general, it is not always clear what it is about, because one of the characters – a witness to the Dresden bombings – seems to fly in time, maneuvering from the current events in Germany (World War II) to the events of the 1970s.
Slaughterhouse 5 tells the story of American volunteers who signed up for the “Western Front”. These volunteers, to put it mildly, are not heroes, rather just strange guys who have forgotten something in the theater of operations. They are not dressed “to the nines”, like the British opposed to them, but in some ridiculous scraps, collected by them in the course of their advance into the depths of German territory.
“Kemble talked about the behavior of American soldiers in German captivity. Everywhere the Americans were considered the biggest whiners, the most unfriendly, the dirtiest of all prisoners of war.” (c)
The book now and then winds from the absurdist fantasies imagined by one of the characters to real events, also passed through the prism of his cracked consciousness; black humor complements this postmodern autobiographical essay.
After the bombing, Dresden resembles ruins. And so he was.
It’s funny that 70% of Vonnegut’s bizarre book consists of lengthy sayings on the topic of American society, descriptions of the personalities of characters, certain political events, etc. Dresden himself gets 30 percent. It is mentioned by the characters, the author himself, but the bombing of Dresden is described in more detail only at the end of the novel. At the beginning of the book, the characters just wander somewhere, think about something, remember, the English laugh at them.
Sometimes there are Russians. But throughout the book, the reader does not leave the feeling of something catastrophic, that something terrible and inevitable is about to happen. This doom of the characters is read from the abstract, sometimes even ridiculous, narration of the author. And they say “don’t worry”, after all, there are civilians, they will not bomb the city. That’s when the heroes get to the very “Slaughterhouse 5”, after which Vonnegut’s novel is named…
“Human beings lay and stood in turns. The legs of those standing were like poles dug into the warm earth – she fidgeted, belched, sighed. The earth, strange as it may seem, was a mosaic of human bodies nestled next to each other, like spoons in a box.” (c)
A slaughterhouse (or slaughterhouse) is, in fact, a place created for the mass slaughter of animals. Keeping this brief definition in mind, it becomes clear what Vonnegut leads us to – the murderous bombing of Dresden, and all the civilians who arrived in it, is the same slaughterhouse where dozens, hundreds, thousands of animals are slaughtered with the help of a special structure; for the English, who committed this diabolical, cynical, And the pre-planned, the crime, the people are just a piece of meat. They slaughter the unarmed like a stupid herd. For they are beasts themselves. Even worse.
The author pays little attention to the details of this disaster, but its scale can be felt on your skin – at first glance, Vonnegut’s unreasonably structured text “beautifully” conveys the horror of what happened through the special mood of his book, which can hardly be compared with anything else. It is special.
“A fiery hurricane was raging above. Dresden turned into a continuous conflagration. The flames devoured all living things and in general everything that could burn.” (with)
I recommend “Slaughterhouse” to everyone who is interested in history and politics, as well as to people who have a liking for books with an unusually structured narrative. Do not forget that “Slaughterhouse” was banned in the United States, and a country where the angels of democracy fly never bans books just like that. As it seems to me, it’s time to pay attention to such books!
Abd Faek Ghananeem is a creative storyteller with a passion for crafting engaging narratives that captivate readers of all ages. With a knack for weaving tales that resonate on a personal level, Abd’s work reflects a deep understanding of the human experience. As an author, Abd brings a unique voice to the literary world, offering stories that are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking. Whether writing for children or adults, Ghananeem’s work is marked by a blend of imagination, insight, and a genuine love for storytelling.
