1. Explain why Vonnegut has chosen to make this chapter the first of Slaughterhouse-Five rather than making it a preface.
2. Describe three different attitudes toward war described in this chapter. Who best epitomizes each view? How would you fit your own view into this scheme?
1. Explain the Tralfamadorian concepts of time and death. How do they compare to the Earthling understanding of these ideas? Why might Billy think that explaining the Tralfamadorian understanding of these two things might help his fellow Earthlings?
2. Examine Billy’s hallucinations and time travelling experiences while he is a soldier. How do they illuminate his mental state? How do they compare to the fantasies of Roland Weary?
1. Despite the fact that Billy is a prisoner of the Nazis, their actions are far more humane than the norm for World War II literature. Why does Vonnegut choose to depict the Nazis in this fashion? Compare the German soldiers to the Americans. How do their differences and similarities affect the message Vonnegut is trying to convey?
2. Explain the symbolic role of the hobo in this chapter.
1. Examine the repetitive imagery of Slaughterhouse-Five. What is its structural role in the novel? Choose two repeating images and discuss their symbolic role.
2. Discuss the meaning of the...
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