The Anti-Hero In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

Billy, in his typical disoriented mode of detachment, doesn’t answer the doctor, but instead pulls from the seam of the tiny overcoat a large diamond and a partial denture he had found lodged there to show the German. Furthermore Billy is not portrayed as a courageous and brave hero of the war but on the contrary he becomes a synonym of weakness, laughter and an incapable soldier not even in control of his own fate however beside all this negative attributes Billy manages to survive where a lot of his war companions don’t, he manages to make it through one of the worst atrocities of the war, the Dresden firebombing, Billy even manages to survive a plane crash on top of Sugarbush Mountain, in Vermont after the war where lot of people died

“As my bones grew they did hurt bad, they hurt really bad. I tried hard to have a father, instead I had a dad,” sang Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in “Serve the Servants”. Which for Cobain was to reflect his weak bond with his dad, as it states how he didn’t have a father to guide him and Cobain’s severe pain from scoliosis. The scoliosis was a metaphorical stand point to emphasize how he had no one to help shape the structure of his emotional turmoil as he was growing older. Fahrenheit 451, a novel about a dystopian society by Ray Bradbury, perfectly exhibits this fading of proper parenting.

His inability to accept the fact that he is committing unnecessary acts of violence are proof that Abner views life from a different perspective. As the reader progresses through the story, it’s clear that Abner is carrying out actions only beneficial to himself. He speaks of loyalty numerous times to his son, however Abner only emphasizes this value when he needs Sarty to help him get out of a predicament. “Barn Burning” is a very interesting story containing numerous controversial events. As the story progresses, Abner shows his true colors of deception and violence.

They go through the same bloody path as their loved ones. Every survivor is getting haunted by the burden of killing. In a short story “Stop the Sun,” by Gary Paulsen, a thirteen-year old boy named Terry, whose father has a psychological disorder known as the Vietnam Syndrome, wants to know why his father acts in such a weird way. Throughout the story, Terry understands that words can not show experiences; furthermore, he learns to accept people even if they have disorders. The theme of the story “Stop the Sun” is that understanding brings acceptance as shown by Terry’s feelings and senses of curiosity, embarrassment, and tolerance.

He startles easily: when he hears a siren going off in Chapter 3, Section 6, he jumps and worries that World War III is coming: “A siren went off, scared the hell out of him. He was expecting World War Three at any time”(Kurt Vonnegut 57). One of the most distinguished symptoms of PTSD was the reliving of frightful past experiences that become literal in Billy's eyes as he travels back and forth in time. And according to Kevin Brown in his journal article, The Psychiatrists Were Right: Anomic Alienation in Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five, “Vonnegut tell

After experiencing the horrors of World War I, Paul believes he is “nothing but an agony for myself, for my mother, for everything that is so comfortless and without end” (Remarque 185). Paul is in fact guilty for his involvement in the violence of the war. He realizes this fact and becomes dispirited because he bemoans allowing himself to get involved in such cruelty. Despite the fact that Paul experiences adverse emotions because of it, he learns from his past blemishes. Even though he can never really rescind his previous actions, he still uses them as a guide towards refraining from repeating the same missteps.

“CU of Mr. Harmon. There were tears in his eyes. The pain in his face is very evident as he struggles with his emotions.” This text evidence shows Mr. Harmon is having a difficult time with his son being in court, and that he thinks Steve is guilty. He also tells Steve he remembers when he was little and how he would tuck him in bed, he never thought Steve would be in any trouble like he is now.

The theme of the story “Stop the Sun” is that understanding brings acceptance and this is shown to the reader through Terry’s frustration, embarrassment and finally his understanding. The theme which is understanding brings acceptance is shown through Terry’s frustration. After asking his mother about his father’s PTSD, he was told it was because of the war, but Terry knew there was something else, something specific that had happened; “ But it bothered him whenever it happened. When something bothered him, he liked to stay with it until he understood it and he understood not part of this”(50).

Through the characterization of Billy the reader gets a deeper look into the emotional and physical effects of war: “He had no helmet, no overcoat, no weapon, and no boots. On his feet were cheap, low-cut civilian shoes which he had bought for his father’s funeral… He didn’t look like a soldier at all. He looked like a filthy flamingo” (33). The simile to a “filthy flamingo” displays Billy is physically lacking for and an incongruity of war.

Anton becoming an anaesthesiologist illustrates his desire for control and understanding (80). His thoughts of pain and how even when they are not remembered they are still felt (80) are analogous to his own personal struggles. Even though he attempts to distort his perception of reality and the effect the War had on his mental state, the pain which endured as a child will always stay a part of him. Anton represses any memory of the War, exemplifying his difficulty of accepting reality. While he can try to forget, Anton can never become who is was before the night of his family’s death.

You can see this with Elies reaction to his father 's death, Elie 's relationship with his father throughout the story, and other sons reactions to their fathers bad state of health. Elie’s dad dying did not have a huge toll on him. The quote, “Free at last,” (pg 112) shows that he was happy he did not have to care for his dad anymore. Furthermore, Elie also said, “I no longer thought of my dad.”

In the story “All Quiet on the Western Front,” WW1 is narrated by a German soldier, Paul. The war is explained as having mainly negative effects on the soldiers: “...men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war.” (1) In the beginning of the novel, Paul and his friends dreams about what their life would be like if there was peace. Their view on the war’s brutality is not deep, but many feel it has ruined any chance at a normal life.

Even though their wars were about 60 years apart, both Paul and Jimmy Cross had to psychological scars from their experiences at war. Not even the deadliest weapons could save both soldiers from the devastating mental scars the war leaves on them. Both, “The Things They Carried,” and All Quiet on the Western Front illustrated the aspects of war that lead to post traumatic stress disorder, that many soldiers still experience today. Sometimes there is no choice of the weapons a soldier is given to fight with, but the mental toleration of the horrors of war can be obtained by

Along with his troubling dreams, Kak also has issues with sleep. He is also extremely tense when listening to see if they are to fly an op, along with this he is also ashamed of his fear of flying. According to The Mayo Clinic, “Overwhelming guilt or shame”, “Trouble sleeping”, “Hopelessness about the future”, and “Upsetting dreams about the traumatic event” are some of many symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Kak also feels guilty about Donny’s death.

In the book “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien writes about his experience before and during the Vietnamese War, tells stories about his troop, and their lives before and after the war. He illustrates about how his life changed because of the war, and emphasizes on how the war is so cruel and has no moral at all. His stories involve a lot about Vietnamese War. If people read his story superficially, they will say it is definitely a war story, but he argues that his book is actually about love (81). Although his story looks like a war story, it is actually a loved story because his stories are either about his loved ones or dedicated to his loved ones.