Conflict

A major conflict in chapter 7 is that the plane that Billy is on crashes "into the top of the Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont... [and] everyone was killed but Billy and the copilot," (199). This is significant to the story because the crash provides the reader with another reason for why Billy might be half crazy. Also, for such a tragic event, the author does not seem to make any dramatic comments. In fact, Vonnegut states that "everything was pretty much all right with Billy," (200). This is ironic because one, Billy had just been apart of a major accident and was fatally injured, and two, Billy's mind is all over the place and he is far from all right.

Chapter 6

In chapter 6, an Englishman gave a lecture on survival. The man said that he saw many people die from ceasing "to stand up straight... shave or wash... get out of bed... [and] talk," (185). I think that within this lecture Vonnegut is making a side point that giving up is never an option in war and that, no matter what, the Americans must go on. This reminds me of the song "Never Give Up," by Yolanda Adams, because they both share a theme of staying strong and doing what you have to do even when times are rough.

Tone

In chapter 6, the narrator's tone shifts slightly when referring to Billy's experience in 1976. The narrator seems to become more distant when talking about Billy's death. The tone of this portion of the chapter is calm and understanding. Also, instead of telling the events of this part of the story in his own words, the author quotes a tape to make it clean that it is Billy. The tape says "I, Billy... will die, have died, and always will... 1967," (180). The point of this distance could be to distinguish Billy as a separate character than the author.

Chapter 5

Although chapter five was a long chapter, the story line didn't seem to progress much. Vonnegut is sending many different messages, but none seem to be related or connected to each other in any way. So far, the book lacks major suspense or points. I still feel like Vonnegut is being distant and that the main character, Billy, isn't getting much out of all of his insane experiences.

Characterization

In chapter 5, Vonnegut introduces Billy's wife Valencia Merble. The author says "Valencia was... rich... as big as a house... and the frames [of her glasses] were trimmed with rhinestones," (136). Within this paragraph, Vonnegut uses characterization to reveal that Valencia values money and food. Also, he makes her personality appear to be somewhat annoying. Valenica seems to have very insignificant value to her husband Billy and remains a weak character throughout the chapter.

Chapter 4

In chapter 4 I started to realize that every time Vonnegut describes or tells about a tragic event, specifically resulting in the death of something or someone, he ends the paragraph with "so it goes." The fact that Vonnegut uses this saying so often after tragic events makes me feel like he is now numb to the horrors of death and injury because he has experienced so many awful and crazy things in his life. Vonnegut seems to have a passive, go with the flow personality that shows more and more through out the book.

Imagery

In chapter 4, Vonnegut uses sensory language to evoke the picture of the Tralfamadore hover craft. He states "the saucer was one hundred feet... portholes was a pulsing purple," (96). The descriptions of the saucer are very precise and create a concrete image. Vonnegut uses imagery a lot through out the book and it makes the reader feel like they are actually in the story.