Schlachthaus Fünf
Kurt Vonnegut is dead. vonnegut.com has a placeholder image of an empty birdcage with an open gate. I’d always felt that Death was a running theme in the man’s work, from the time I first cracked Slaughterhouse 5 in a high school lit class, to now, this moment when I first learned of his death.
Vonnegut never pitched Death as a villain in his work, but more as a relief or a last resort. His characters longed for it, loathed it and fought it, yet accepted it as a reasonable and sensible conclusion once all other avenues had failed. But their lives continued for better or for worse, and their antics and mishaps kept their relationships with Death constant. There were never any happy endings, or sad. There were only endings that never quite ended - until now.
In a way, I believe Vonnegut never intended an ending to his work because it was inextricably tied to his own life, and for the man and his work, there was only one ending possible, and that would have to be written by somebody else.
- Helping Kids Recognize The Importance Of Literature
- Fear Factor: A Lit Circle Unit on Overcoming Personal Fears
- Reflecting on The Big Picture...
Add New Comment
Viewing 2 Comments
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
When I saw the news on p. 3 of the Post, I was surprised that it wasn't front page. Not that I should have been, but my first reaction was, I think, a tribute to his primacy among popular U.S. authors in my lifetime.