Billy Pilgrim, Body on Earth, Mind in the Universe: A Character Analysis of Slaughterhouse-Five Many people are intrigued by the science fiction and anti-war book by Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five, and how it has survived through the ages. Kurt Vonnegut is an innovative bestselling and award-winning author of numerous books such as; Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse-Five, etc. The Slaughterhouse-Five book does not have a beginning, middle, or end beyond the first chapter, so it is very common for Billy Pilgrim to "bounce back and forth in time" between his childhood, the war, and into his elderly years and not everything in that order. Billy Pilgrim is a man who didn't have the greatest luck when it came to becoming a soldier. For example, “He was a skinny, untrained soldier with remnants of his uniform. Such a creature could pass through the war, unconscious but unharmed, when so many others had. others with more suitable clothing and provisions perish” (Editor Sparknotes). Mr. Vonnegut experienced some of the events described in the book Slaughterhouse-Five, such as the American air raid on Dresden, Germany. On February 13 and 14, 1945, nearly 135,000 Germans were killed in the tragic firebombing of the city of Dresden, Germany. In the book, Billy claims to have experienced this tragic event several times. Mr. Vonnegut was a soldier in the 423rd Infantry Regiment and the 106th Infantry Division and received a Purple Heart for his service after being wounded in the Battle of the Bulge (Vonnegut.com). Today, many soldiers who fought during and after World War II have suffered from PTSD. An estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, with women (10.4%) being twice as likely as men (5%) to develop PTSD. Approximately 3.6 percent of American adults aged 18 to 54 (5.2 million...... middle of paper ...... referred to their mental problems as "so it goes" (Vonnegut 441). One example was when he survived a plane crash with a plane full of optometrist and Billy was the only survivor, so he saw his father die right before leaving for war "and so on" (Vonnegut 441). ).a car accident on her way to see Billy in the hospital “so it goes” (Vonnegut 441). A tramp dying on the prison train right in front of Billy “so it goes” (Vonnegut 441). ), death which was followed by Paul Lazzaro as promised, "so it goes" (Vonnegut 441). All the countless deaths that Billy survived and endured throughout his life were tiny stepping stones for that. he completely loses his mind. In conclusion, Billy is no longer on earth, he has distorted time by keeping his body on earth but sending his spirit free...