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How Does Billy Pilgrim Demonstrate Human Weakness In Slaughterhouse-Five

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Nineteen Eighty-Four and Slaughterhouse-Five are novels that explore human tendencies towards being compliant and the struggle of opposing conformity through acceptance. Despite bearing some minor differences, the similarities between Winston Smith and Billy Pilgrim are clear and remarkable as they demonstrate human weakness and vulnerability through their hardships, inner struggles et moments of epiphany. Winston Smith and Billy Pilgrim share many similar character traits and overcome similar problems. This essay will be comparing the main characters of Slaughterhouse-Five and Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Firstly, both Winston and Billy feel powerless in their lives, although it may be caused by different reasons and factors. Winston, from 1984, not only feels …show more content…

Billy’s wife,Valencia Pilgrim, dies from monoxide poisoning after a bad car accident. After Valencia gets news of the plane crash, in which Billy was involved and survived, she gets in her car and rushes towards to scene. This is when she gets into an accident and then gets trapped in her car and suffocates from monoxide poisoning. Billy was crushed after learning about his beloved wife’s death. This scars him and this is one of his most traumatic and sad moments of his life. Billy was full of guilt and sorrow. Nevertheless, he learned to accept that these things happen due to the Tralfamadorians and their saying. “And Lot 's wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.”(Vonnegut 22). Although he managed to accept his wife’s death, this event caused him a lot of pain. This shows that if you have the right mindset, you can learn to endure hardships and become a happier

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