Chapter 4: Slaughterhouse-Five

For the first time Billy tells us in depth about his abductions by Tralfamadorians and it got me wondering if Billy really was losing his mind like everyone said. The encounter is described by very specific detail but it seems very incredible, being abducted by a ray of light and taken into a world in the fourth dimension. I don't understand how Billy knew that he was going to be abducted on his daugter's wedding night. I also don't understand what is the significance of Billy's abductions, why they happen, how the Tarlfamadorians can be so advanced and why they see in the fouth dimension.

In this chapter the author continues saying "so it goes" whenever death is mentioned but now phrases from other chapters like "nestled like spoons" are seen again. Also "blue and ivory feet" is a phrase repeated often. The phrase is a simile that comes up whenever people sleeping together is mentioned like on the train in the war and when Billy and his wife are together. "Blue and ivory feet" describes billys feet before the abduction. I associate blue with coldness and darkness and an ominous feeling or uncertainty and the ivory or white with tranquility. This makes me think that Billy is anxious about the abduction but not scared.

Also we get acquainted with new charaters in the book. Small and wimpy Lazzaro, Derby, the teacher who Billy already knows his fate. I wonder what it is like knowing how and when someone dies when they are still alive, Billy's knowledge of Derby's future must have really changed the way he was towards him because he knew too much. After revealing the knowledge of Derby's doomed future the narrator constantly refers to him as "poor old Derby" which helped remind me of the man's dreadful and inevitable future. Billy also knew that he would come to an end because of all the men's promises to avenge Weary by killing his murderer, Billy Pilgrim. Billy wasn't sure of where or when his death would occur but he did know that it was because of Weary who got captured at Billy's expense, that his life would be cut short.

I thought this wasn't as interesting of a chapter as the previous ones because it wasn't as eventful. The difficulties depicted in the chapter make me imagine myself in their situation and see how miserable the war must have been. I still haven't been able to find a connection between Billy's unsticking from time and the Tralfamadorians and the war other than the loss of hope and of the will to live. I think that there has been too much discussion of the war but not enough of the other scenes or phases in his life and i hope to read more about his job, his family life and the planet Tralfamadore.