Slaughterhouse-Five summary

Slaughterhouse-Five opens in 1967, with Kurt Vonnegut recounting his experiences as a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany, during the city's catastrophic firebombing at the end of World War II. He asserts that the novel is mostly true, especially the parts about the war.

For 23 years, Vonnegut has grappled with the trauma of Dresden, attempting to put pen to paper. In the meantime, he’s pursued diverse careers, including anthropology, police reporting, and public relations. At one point, he shockingly discovers that the Dresden bombing remains top-secret in the US – and renews his vow to describe the indescribable. 

He drafts a colorful outline in crayon on wallpaper. But the tragedy’s magnitude paralyzes his words. An acquaintance highlights the futility of Vonnegut's anti-war stance, equating its effectiveness in preventing war to protesting against the movement of glaciers in the hope that they’ll stop moving.

Vonnegut visits his wartime friend, Bernhard O’Hare, to discuss Dresden. O’Hare’s wife, Mary, overhears their conversation and challenges the potential glorification of war in Vonnegut’s writing. He swears his account won't paint soldiers as heroes but as the “babies” they truly were, and coins the title The Children’s Crusade. He also acknowledges that the story might be fragmented and short, as massacres defy coherent articulation.

To remember exactly what happened, Vonnegut plans a trip to Dresden with O’Hare. En route, Vonnegut’s sense of time warps. He reads about Sodom and Gomorrah and identifies with Lot’s wife, who transforms into salt as punishment for looking back at her destroyed city. Reflecting on Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut sees it as a failed endeavor and resolves to move forward without looking back.

ANALYSIS

The first chapter’s autobiographical tone makes it feel more like the preface of a novel. Vonnegut becomes a character in his narrative, candidly discussing his struggles to write the story. By sharing the book's inception and his intentions, he deeply intertwines his life with the fictional events that follow, emphasizing the impact the Dresden bombing had on his psyche. 

The phrase “So it goes,” which is mentioned after any death in the novel, is first introduced here. It serves as a resigned acknowledgment of the tragedies and events of life – and further blurs fiction with reality.

To authentically convey the horror, futility, and chaos of the war, Vonnegut opts for a fragmented, nonlinear story format. This will be echoed in the way the experiences of our protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, drift across time.