Literary Criticism of "Slaughter House Five", by Kurt Vonnegut

Destruction of Dresden, destruction of Vonnegut's dream
The little dream Vonnegut took with him to war was not founded on the rubble of insanity, absurdity, and irrationality that he experienced in WWII. His dream was founded on order, stability, and justice. It was founded on what Dresden symbolized. And when Dresden evaporated so too did Vonnegut's dream. (Klinkowitz 223)
Vonnegut's views on death, war, technology and human nature were all affected by his experience in Dresden and these themes become evident in his novels. The common thread between all of Vonnegut's themes is war. The bombing of Dresden had a profound impact on the life and writing of Kurt Vonnegut. "Rarely has a single incident so dominated the work of a writer" (Goldsmith IX). World War II shaped many of Kurt Vonnegut's philosophies that appear in his novels, especially Slaughterhouse Five. "With Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut was able to deal directly with his war time nightmare" (Klinkowitz 225). …