Slaughter House-Five Theme: Loss of free will is affected by a parallel of controllable and uncontrollable events. By Kurt Vonnegut

In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut's unique vision of time and travel reveals his philosophical view toward the concept of free will. Throughout Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut argues that the loss of free will is affected by a parallel of controllable and uncontrollable events that occur in the life of the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut argues that Billy's loss of free will results from his experiences in life, specifically, his childhood, marriage, and participation in war. The dark …

…that he began with. Only through escape into his fantasy life on the planet Tralfamadore, is Billy able to find some control and freedom over his choices as noted by his relationship with Montana Wildhack, Billy's subconscious choice of a love mate. These, often pleasurable escapes, however, are frequently cut short by an interrupting wife or daughter. This timeless novel pilots the reader to find his or her own unique and individual meaning in life.