Slaughterhouse-Five

Roland Weary is an insufferable bully who dies a painful death. Weary arrives in the European theatre of World War II armed to the teeth. He is delighted to finally have the opportunity to manifest fully his tendencies as a bully. For his entire life, Weary took the pain inflicted on him by others and turned it against those who are weaker than him. The war allows him to turn this practice into a way of life. Weary is hated by the other soldiers, so he takes this hatred and turns it against Billy Pilgrim. He threatens Billy constantly and delights in showing off his capacity for violence. Yet Weary refuses to abandon Billy when they are lost after the battle. Weary depends on Billy to make himself stronger. He understands that, if Billy dies, Weary will become the weakest member of the group. Weary cannot tolerate this so he encourages and threatens Billy, ironically saving the life of the person he loathes. Weary’s desperate desire to bully people eventually saves Billy’s life.

Weary also causes Billy’s death. As he dies of gangrene poisoning, his delusion convinces him that Billy is at fault. Weary tells Paul Lazzaro that Billy is responsible, and Lazzaro swears vengeance. Years later, Lazzaro guns Billy down at a lecture. Weary’s final act is to ensure that he causes Billy’s death. Weary is such a bully that he cannot kill Billy himself. All he can do is lie and spread his own delusions. In death, Weary delivers one final act of bullying and arranges for the murder of Billy Pilgrim.

The narrator is a thinly-veiled representation of Kurt Vonnegut. Many of the experiences described by the narrator are taken from the life of Vonnegut, such as the violence witnessed during World War II. The narrator acts as the guardian of Billy Pilgrim’s memory. The narrator is the only person who can come close to understanding Billy’s experiences because he was also there in Dresden. He stayed in Slaughterhouse-Five with the other prisoners and witnessed the horrors of the war firsthand. The narrator sympathizes with Billy because he shares many of the same traumas. The narrator’s trip back to Dresden functions as an echo of Billy’s own experiences. Memories are relived in person by the narrator, who visits the city to try and experience his own past. Billy travels through time while the narrator must rely on his own imagination. The first chapter of the novel establishes the concept of travelling back to the traumatic past, and the narrator’s experiences set the stage for Billy’s more outlandish life. 

Edgar Derby is a good man who dies a pointless death. Elected as the leader of the prisoners, Derby is allowed one moment in which to distinguish himself. He lambasts an American who works as a propagandist for the Nazis and is cheered by his fellow Americans. The more mature, bearded schoolteacher is vindicated as a leader of the group and enjoys a moment of glory. This moment of glory contrasts with his death. Accused of stealing a teapot in the final days of the war, German soldiers execute him. His death means nothing; it does not help the Germans or hinder the Americans in any way. The teapot is worthless in the grand scheme of the war, and his life is taken without a moment’s hesitation. Derby’s good nature and pitiable death demonstrate the way in which human life becomes as worthless and meaningless as the teapot amid the horrors of World War II.