The first theme of the destructiveness of war is developed when Vonnegut discusses Billy Pilgrim's experiences of seeing innocent people die in the war and how that affects him and the citizens physically and psychologically. Vonnegut shows the development of this theme when he says, "Billy passed within a yard of him. There was barbed wire between them. The Russian did not wave or speak, but he looked directly into Billy's soul with sweet hopefulness, as though Billy might have good news for him-news he might be too stupid to understand, but good news all the same." Here, the use of cacophonic words helps readers see the emotional destructiveness of war. Vonnegut's telling readers that the prisoner wants any good news, and he does not care what it is. It tells readers how awful the war is, and how much all of the prisoners have had to suffer because of it. When he uses the phrase, "The Russian did not wave or speak," readers can sense the emotional distress this prisoner has been through. The whole book is centered around this theme mainly, and how it messed up multiple peoples' lives physically and emotionally. The destructiveness of war is witnessed throughout Vonnegut's novel.
The crude nature of humans is another theme developed throughout Slaughterhouse-Five. This theme is extremely developed when Billy Pilgrim is with the "Three Musketeers," led by Roland Weary. Roland is constantly bullying Billy while they were in Dresden, and Vonnegut really stresses how crude humans can be. Weary uses harsh words towards Billy when spitting out orders to him. This theme of crude nature is shown when Vonnegut says, "Roland Weary and the scouts were safe in a ditch, and Weary growled at Billy, 'Get out of the road, you dumb motherfucker.'" This type of language Vonnegut incorporates into Weary's character helps show readers the crude nature of humans. He is trying to tell readers that humans are more harsh towards each other than they ought to be. The diction he uses helps establish this theme throughout his experiences with the "Three Musketeers."
The last theme Vonnegut creates in Slaughterhouse-Five is the idea of death not being a tragic event. He creates this theme when Billy gets capture by the aliens from Tralfamadore. The Tralfamadorians put him in their zoo and put him on display for everyone to see. Billy starts asking the aliens questions, such as their idea of peace and death. He asks this because the world has so much war and death incorporated into its society. The Tralfamadorians tell him that death is not a tragic event on their planet. They tell him that the memories of their loved ones are always with them, even when they pass away. Vonnegut uses this event in Billy Pilgrim's life to create the theme about death. He is trying to get his readers (humans) to understand his perception of not looking at death as a bad thing and to always keep the memories of their loved ones with them. The Tralfamadorians tell Billy that people are alive through memories. This is the most important theme Vonnegut creates in his novel. The experience on Tralfamadore was so well-written through his use of detail and imagery that his readers easily buy into this theme.
The imagery, diction, and description Kurt Vonnegut uses throughout Slaughterhouse-Five creates numerous themes. All of these themes are created through the experiences of Billy Pilgrim. When Billy witnesses the physical and psychological toll the war in Dresden had on citizens, the theme of destructiveness of war was created. Then, while with the "Three Musketeers," Vonnegut creates the theme of the illogical nature of human beings. The dialect the characters talk in helps Vonnegut's audience see the true side of human nature. The final theme of the novel was death being a non-tragic event. Billy's questioning of the Tralfamadorians on how they view death lets readers see how they should keep their loved ones alive through memories and not mourn about their passing. Vonnegut's creation of these multiple themes was extremely well done through the use of literary tools that helped make these themes come alive.
