Veterans' Pilgrimages in Kurt Vonnegut's Novels -Altruism and Tapping Despair into Hope

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 강원대학교 인문과학연구소
· 수록지 정보 : 인문과학연구 / 42호 / 355 ~ 370페이지
· 저자명 : 박광희

초록

This paper examines both the meaning of 'war' and its effect on human beings through veterans' struggles in Vonnegut's novels. Vonnegut presents fantastic fictional world that does not allow his readers the distance of 'over there' both in psychology and emotion by making them feel the war experience their own. And he well shows his unique and special manner of dealing with war that describes how much war affects human beings not only in physical but psychological side.
Through his world warⅡ novels such as Mother Night, Cat's Cradle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater and Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut witnesses the aftereffects of war as Howard Campbell, Eliot Rosewater, and Billy Pilgrim. But only Eliot Rosewater survives the novel's end, and only Billy produces children. With this process, Vonnegut makes us acknowledge not only the seriousness of war, but also that central components such as responsibility and kindness are repeatedly given more focus than survival or legacies in his war novels. Thereby he points out the importance of altruism, while readers get to know responsibility and kindness matter.
By dealing with pilgrimages of his veterans, Vonnegut lets us know that we have been staging dangerous wars, and that there is no hope of prosperity on the earth as long as we repeat worthless wars. As a result, he conveys his message that we human beings can realize peace and prosperity in this world only when we stop worthless wars and treat each other with love and respect.

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