KURT VONNEGUT, JR.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (born 1922) is acknowledged as a major voice in American
literature and applauded for his pungent satirical depictions of modern society.
Emphasizing the comic absurdity of the human condition, he frequently depicts
characters who search for meaning and order in an inherently meaningless and
disorderly universe.
Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of a
successful architect. After attending Cornell University, where he majored in
chemistry and biology, he enlisted in the United States Army, serving in the
Second World War and eventually being taken prisoner by the German Army.
Following the war, Vonnegut studied anthropology at the University of Chicago
and subsequently moved to Schenectady, New York, to work as a publicist for the
General Electric Corporation. During this period, he also began submitting short
stories to various journals, and in 1951, he resigned his position at General
Electric to devote his time solely to writing.
Vonnegut published several novels throughout the 1950s and 1960s, beginning with
Player Piano in 1952. However, his frequent use of elements of fantasy resulted
in his classification as a writer of science fiction, a genre not widely
accepted as "serious literature," and his work did not attract significant
popular or critical interest until the mid-1960s, when increasing
disillusionment with American society led to widespread admiration for his
forthright, irreverent satires. His reputation was greatly enhanced in 1969 with
the publication of Slaughterhouse-Five, a vehemently antiwar novel that appeared
during the peak of protest against American involvement in Vietnam. During the
1970s and 1980s, Vonnegut continued to serve as an important commentator on
American society, publishing a series of novels in which he focused on topics
ranging from political corruption to environmental pollution. In recent years,
Vonnegut has also become a prominent and vocal critic of censorship and
militarism in the United States.
Although many critics attribute Vonnegut's classification as a science-fiction
writer to a complete misunderstanding of his aims, the element of fantasy is
nevertheless one of the most notable features of his early works. Player Piano
depicts a fictional city called Ilium in which the people have relinquished
control of their lives to a computer humorously named EPICAC, after a substance
that induces vomiting, while the The Sirens of Titan (1959) takes place on
several different planets, including a thoroughly militarized Mars, where the
inhabitants are electronically controlled. The fantastic settings of these works
serve primarily as a metaphor for modern society, which Vonnegut views as absurd
to the point of being surreal, and as a backdrop for Vonnegut's central focus:
the hapless human beings who inhabit these bizarre worlds who struggle with both
their environments and themselves. For example, in Player Piano, the protagonist,
Dr. Paul Proteus, rebels against the emotional vapidity of his society, wherein,
freed from the need to perform any meaningful work, the citizens have lost their
sense of dignity and purpose. Proteus joins a subversive organization devoted to
toppling the computer-run government and participates in an abortive rebellion.
Although he is imprisoned at the end of the novel, Vonnegut suggests that
Proteus has triumphed in regaining his humanity.
Vonnegut once again focuses on the role of technology in human society in Cat's
Cradle (1963), widely considered one of his best works. The novel recounts the
discovery of a form of ice, called ice-nine, which is solid at a much lower
temperature than normal ice and is capable of solidifying all water on Earth.
Ice-nine serves as a symbol of the enormous destructive potential of technology,
particularly when developed or used without regard for the welfare of humanity.
In contrast to what he considers the harmful truths represented by scientific
discoveries, Vonnegut presents a religion called Bokononism, based on the
concept that there are no absolute truths, that human life is ultimately
meaningless, and that the most helpful religion would therefore preach benign
lies that encourage kindness, give humanity a sense of dignity, and allow people
to view their absurd condition with humor. The motif of the cat's cradle, a
children's game played by looping string about the hands in a complex pattern,
is used by Vonnegut to demonstrate the harm caused by the erroneous paradigms
presented by traditional religions: "No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's
cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids
look at all those X's ... no damn cat, and no damn cradle."
In God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; or, Pearls before Swine (1965), Vonnegut
presents one of his most endearing protagonists in the figure of Eliot Rosewater,
a philanthropic but ineffectual man who attempts to use his inherited fortune
for the betterment of humanity. Rosewater finds that his generosity, his genuine
concern for human beings, and his attempts to establish loving relationships are
viewed as madness in a society that values only money. The novel includes
traditional religions in its denunciation of materialism and greed in the modern
world, suggesting that the wealthy and powerful invented the concept of divine
ordination to justify and maintain their exploitation of others.
Vonnegut described Slaughterhouse-Five as a novel he was compelled to write,
since it is based on one of the most extraordinary and significant events of his
life. During the time he was a prisoner of the German Army, Vonnegut witnessed
the Allied bombing of Dresden, which destroyed the city and killed more than 135,000
people. One of the few to survive, Vonnegut was ordered by his captors to aid in
the grisly task of digging bodies from the rubble and destroying them in huge
bonfires. Although the attack claimed more lives than the bombing of Hiroshima
and was directed at a target of no apparent military importance, it attracted
little attention, and Slaughterhouse-Five is Vonnegut's attempt to both document
and denounce this event. Like Vonnegut, the protagonist of Slaughterhouse-Five,
named Billy Pilgrim, has been present at the bombing of Dresden and has been
profoundly affected by the experience. His feelings manifest themselves in a
spiritual malaise that culminates in a nervous breakdown. In addition, he
suffers from a peculiar condition, that of being "unstuck in time," meaning that
he randomly experiences events from his past, present, and future. The novel is
therefore a complex, nonchronological narrative in which images of suffering and
loss prevail. Charles B. Harris has noted: "Ultimately, [Slaughterhouse-Five] is
less about Dresden than it is about the impact of Dresden on one man's
sensibilities. More specifically, it is the story of Vonnegut's story of Dresden,
how he came to write it and, implicitly, why he wrote it as he did."
In the works written after Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut often focuses on the
problems of contemporary society in a direct manner. Breakfast of Champions, or
Goodbye Blue Monday (1973) and Slapstick, or Lonesome No More (1976), for
example, examine the widespread feelings of despair and loneliness that result
from the loss of traditional culture in the United States; Jailbird (1979)
recounts the story of a fictitious participant in the Watergate scandal of the
Nixon administration, creating an indictment of the American political system;
Galapagos (1985) predicts the dire consequences of environmental pollution; and
Hocus-Pocus; or, What's the Hurry, Son" (1990) deals with the implications and
aftermath of the war in Vietnam. In the 1990s, he also published Fates Worse
Than Death (1991) and Timequake (1997). Although many of these works are highly
regarded, critics frequently argue that in his later works Vonnegut tends to
reiterate themes presented more compellingly in earlier works. Many also suggest
that Vonnegut's narrative style, which includes the frequent repetition of
distinctive phrases, the use of colloquialisms, and a digressive manner, becomes
formulaic in some of his later works.
Nevertheless, Vonnegut remains one of the most esteemed American satirists.
Noted for their frank and insightful social criticism as well as their
innovative style, his works present an idiosyncratic yet compelling vision of
modern life. His most recent works include two collections of short fiction
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (1999) and God Bless You, Dr.
Kevorkian (1999). He was hospitalized for smoke inhalation in January 2000 after
a fire at his home in New York, and in 2001 announced that he was at work on a
new novel, If God Were Alive Today.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (born 1922) is acknowledged as a major voice in American
literature and applauded for his pungent satirical depictions of modern society.
Emphasizing the comic absurdity of the human condition, he frequently depicts
characters who search for meaning and order in an inherently meaningless and
disorderly universe.
Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of a
successful architect. After attending Cornell University, where he majored in
chemistry and biology, he enlisted in the United States Army, serving in the
Second World War and eventually being taken prisoner by the German Army.
Following the war, Vonnegut studied anthropology at the University of Chicago
and subsequently moved to Schenectady, New York, to work as a publicist for the
General Electric Corporation. During this period, he also began submitting short
stories to various journals, and in 1951, he resigned his position at General
Electric to devote his time solely to writing.
Vonnegut published several novels throughout the 1950s and 1960s, beginning with
Player Piano in 1952. However, his frequent use of elements of fantasy resulted
in his classification as a writer of science fiction, a genre not widely
accepted as "serious literature," and his work did not attract significant
popular or critical interest until the mid-1960s, when increasing
disillusionment with American society led to widespread admiration for his
forthright, irreverent satires. His reputation was greatly enhanced in 1969 with
the publication of Slaughterhouse-Five, a vehemently antiwar novel that appeared
during the peak of protest against American involvement in Vietnam. During the
1970s and 1980s, Vonnegut continued to serve as an important commentator on
American society, publishing a series of novels in which he focused on topics
ranging from political corruption to environmental pollution. In recent years,
Vonnegut has also become a prominent and vocal critic of censorship and
militarism in the United States.
Although many critics attribute Vonnegut's classification as a science-fiction
writer to a complete misunderstanding of his aims, the element of fantasy is
nevertheless one of the most notable features of his early works. Player Piano
depicts a fictional city called Ilium in which the people have relinquished
control of their lives to a computer humorously named EPICAC, after a substance
that induces vomiting, while the The Sirens of Titan (1959) takes place on
several different planets, including a thoroughly militarized Mars, where the
inhabitants are electronically controlled. The fantastic settings of these works
serve primarily as a metaphor for modern society, which Vonnegut views as absurd
to the point of being surreal, and as a backdrop for Vonnegut's central focus:
the hapless human beings who inhabit these bizarre worlds who struggle with both
their environments and themselves. For example, in Player Piano, the protagonist,
Dr. Paul Proteus, rebels against the emotional vapidity of his society, wherein,
freed from the need to perform any meaningful work, the citizens have lost their
sense of dignity and purpose. Proteus joins a subversive organization devoted to
toppling the computer-run government and participates in an abortive rebellion.
Although he is imprisoned at the end of the novel, Vonnegut suggests that
Proteus has triumphed in regaining his humanity.
Vonnegut once again focuses on the role of technology in human society in Cat's
Cradle (1963), widely considered one of his best works. The novel recounts the
discovery of a form of ice, called ice-nine, which is solid at a much lower
temperature than normal ice and is capable of solidifying all water on Earth.
Ice-nine serves as a symbol of the enormous destructive potential of technology,
particularly when developed or used without regard for the welfare of humanity.
In contrast to what he considers the harmful truths represented by scientific
discoveries, Vonnegut presents a religion called Bokononism, based on the
concept that there are no absolute truths, that human life is ultimately
meaningless, and that the most helpful religion would therefore preach benign
lies that encourage kindness, give humanity a sense of dignity, and allow people
to view their absurd condition with humor. The motif of the cat's cradle, a
children's game played by looping string about the hands in a complex pattern,
is used by Vonnegut to demonstrate the harm caused by the erroneous paradigms
presented by traditional religions: "No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's
cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids
look at all those X's ... no damn cat, and no damn cradle."
In God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; or, Pearls before Swine (1965), Vonnegut
presents one of his most endearing protagonists in the figure of Eliot Rosewater,
a philanthropic but ineffectual man who attempts to use his inherited fortune
for the betterment of humanity. Rosewater finds that his generosity, his genuine
concern for human beings, and his attempts to establish loving relationships are
viewed as madness in a society that values only money. The novel includes
traditional religions in its denunciation of materialism and greed in the modern
world, suggesting that the wealthy and powerful invented the concept of divine
ordination to justify and maintain their exploitation of others.
Vonnegut described Slaughterhouse-Five as a novel he was compelled to write,
since it is based on one of the most extraordinary and significant events of his
life. During the time he was a prisoner of the German Army, Vonnegut witnessed
the Allied bombing of Dresden, which destroyed the city and killed more than 135,000
people. One of the few to survive, Vonnegut was ordered by his captors to aid in
the grisly task of digging bodies from the rubble and destroying them in huge
bonfires. Although the attack claimed more lives than the bombing of Hiroshima
and was directed at a target of no apparent military importance, it attracted
little attention, and Slaughterhouse-Five is Vonnegut's attempt to both document
and denounce this event. Like Vonnegut, the protagonist of Slaughterhouse-Five,
named Billy Pilgrim, has been present at the bombing of Dresden and has been
profoundly affected by the experience. His feelings manifest themselves in a
spiritual malaise that culminates in a nervous breakdown. In addition, he
suffers from a peculiar condition, that of being "unstuck in time," meaning that
he randomly experiences events from his past, present, and future. The novel is
therefore a complex, nonchronological narrative in which images of suffering and
loss prevail. Charles B. Harris has noted: "Ultimately, [Slaughterhouse-Five] is
less about Dresden than it is about the impact of Dresden on one man's
sensibilities. More specifically, it is the story of Vonnegut's story of Dresden,
how he came to write it and, implicitly, why he wrote it as he did."
In the works written after Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut often focuses on the
problems of contemporary society in a direct manner. Breakfast of Champions, or
Goodbye Blue Monday (1973) and Slapstick, or Lonesome No More (1976), for
example, examine the widespread feelings of despair and loneliness that result
from the loss of traditional culture in the United States; Jailbird (1979)
recounts the story of a fictitious participant in the Watergate scandal of the
Nixon administration, creating an indictment of the American political system;
Galapagos (1985) predicts the dire consequences of environmental pollution; and
Hocus-Pocus; or, What's the Hurry, Son" (1990) deals with the implications and
aftermath of the war in Vietnam. In the 1990s, he also published Fates Worse
Than Death (1991) and Timequake (1997). Although many of these works are highly
regarded, critics frequently argue that in his later works Vonnegut tends to
reiterate themes presented more compellingly in earlier works. Many also suggest
that Vonnegut's narrative style, which includes the frequent repetition of
distinctive phrases, the use of colloquialisms, and a digressive manner, becomes
formulaic in some of his later works.
Nevertheless, Vonnegut remains one of the most esteemed American satirists.
Noted for their frank and insightful social criticism as well as their
innovative style, his works present an idiosyncratic yet compelling vision of
modern life. His most recent works include two collections of short fiction
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (1999) and God Bless You, Dr.
Kevorkian (1999). He was hospitalized for smoke inhalation in January 2000 after
a fire at his home in New York, and in 2001 announced that he was at work on a
new novel, If God Were Alive Today.