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Slaughterhouse-Five Phlae

Vonnegut uses characterization in Slaughterhouse-Five to challenge stereotypes and show shared humanity between soldiers of different sides in WWII. He subverts stereotypes of American military leaders and soldiers as heroes by negatively portraying characters like Rumfoord and Weary. Vonnegut also depicts friendship between English and German prisoners of war to show humanity between enemies. His characterization of German soldiers as ordinary people in unsuitable clothing emphasizes their shared vulnerability with Billy. Throughout the novel, Vonnegut portrays both good and bad people on all sides of the war to demonstrate diversity in humanity across supposed divides.

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92 views4 pages

Slaughterhouse-Five Phlae

Vonnegut uses characterization in Slaughterhouse-Five to challenge stereotypes and show shared humanity between soldiers of different sides in WWII. He subverts stereotypes of American military leaders and soldiers as heroes by negatively portraying characters like Rumfoord and Weary. Vonnegut also depicts friendship between English and German prisoners of war to show humanity between enemies. His characterization of German soldiers as ordinary people in unsuitable clothing emphasizes their shared vulnerability with Billy. Throughout the novel, Vonnegut portrays both good and bad people on all sides of the war to demonstrate diversity in humanity across supposed divides.

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Annika Damstedt

Mr. Moore

English HL2 B4

13 November 2022

Characterization and Humanity in Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut follows the story of Billy Pilgrim as he lives

through WWII. Throughout the book Billy encounters many people each with extreme, and often

ironic, characterization. WWII propaganda employed stereotypes to characterize the people

fighting as either enemies or allies, villains or heroes. Vonnegut uses characterization in

Slaughterhouse-Five to subvert these stereotypes, showing the shared humanity of people even

during war.

Vonnegut challenges the stereotype of the American military leader as a hero through the

hyperbolized, negative characterization of Bertram Copeland Rumfoord. Rumfoord is

narcissistic, with little concern for other human lives. Vonnegut describes Rumfoord’s wife as

“...one more public demonstration that he was a superman” (237). Vonnegut characterizes

Rumfoord as someone who cares only about himself by showing that he values his wife only as

an object, not a person. This is symbolic of the military in that the lives of soldiers, on both sides

of the war, are seen as disposable objects. Additionally, Vonnegut describes Rumfoord as

“thinking in a military manner” (246) when he was unable to comprehend Billy speaking in the

hospital. Rumfoord instead thought “...that an inconvenient person, one whose death he wished

for very much, for practical reasons, was suffering from a repulsive disease” (246). The word

“inconvenient” highlights the problem within Rumfoord and the military. Life itself is not given

value but is instead seen as worthwhile only if it’s beneficial. Vonnegut characterizes Rumfoord
in such an unlikeable way to illustrate the problem with the military treating some lives as

disposable rather than as inherently valuable.

Vonnegut shows the shared humanity between all soldiers through the friendship between

the English and German soldiers in the prison camp. The Englishmen are characterized

positively, representing the stereotype of the perfect soldier. Vonnegut writes, “The Englishmen

were clean and enthusiastic and decent and strong” (119). The repetitive nature of the adjectives

reinforces the positive qualities of the Englishmen, illustrating how soldiers should interact.

Vonnegut later wrote a German major “...considered the Englishmen close friends” (163). Even

though they are enemies, and as such would be expected to see each other as irredeemably bad,

the Germans are able to see the Englishmen’s worth and value their lives. Vonnegut shows the

shared humanity between soldiers through the friendship between enemies.

Vonnegut also shows the shared humanity between all soldiers through the negative and

ironic characterizations of Ronald Weary and Paul Lazarro. Although these two characters are

American soldiers, they are characterized as bad people. Vonnegut describes Weary as “...stupid

and fat and mean” (44). Echoing his description of the Englishmen, Vonnegut uses the repetitive

nature of the adjectives to highlight all the negative qualities of Weary. This characterization is

ironic because Weary is fighting on the same side of the war as Billy, so he should be depicted as

an ally. However, Vonnegut uses the characterization of Weary to show that the side of the war

you are fighting on does not make you a good or bad person. Instead, there are bad people on

both sides of the war. This point is reiterated in the characterization of Paul Lazarro as a violent

person, consumed by a need for brutal revenge. A clearly morally corrupt character is again

placed on Billy’s side to show the diversity in humanity; neither side is all good or all bad.

However, Lazarro also illustrates this understanding that the Germans aren’t all bad. Lazarro
“...didn’t have anything against the Germans” because they hadn’t wronged him (Vonnegut 177).

By such a violent character being impartial towards the Germans, Vonnegut is showing that

opposing soldiers aren’t inherently evil.

Vonnegut’s sympathetic characterization of German soldiers also illustrates his concern

with demonstrating shared humanity even during war. The German soldiers who capture Billy

defy the stereotypes of brutal enemies. Vonnegut notes that they were young and old, even

describing a young fifteen-year-old boy as being “...as beautiful as Eve” (68). Vonnegut’s

characterization of the German soldiers as innocent emphasizes their humanity and value.

Vonnegut also highlights the shared humanity between the German soldiers and Billy through

descriptions of their unsuitable clothing. Vonnegut writes of the German soldiers, “They were

irregulars, armed and clothed fragmentarily with junk…” (67). During this time, Billy isn’t

properly dressed for war either, wearing civilian shoes with a heel missing. All of them being

clothed haphazardly represents how they were all just ordinary people. Vonnegut creates this

image to show the soldiers as people. In addition, contrary to the “tall, cocky, murderous

American” stereotype (191) held by the Germans, Billy is seen as ridiculous when he first enters

Dresden, because he is wearing a “blue toga and silver shoes” (191). Billy’s characterization

contrasted so strongly with the German’s perception that it provoked outrage. A man on the

street said, “‘And do you feel proud to represent America as you do?’” (193). The German

people had to learn that the American people weren’t terrifying, but were instead, in their

ridiculousness, simply normal people.

In conclusion, Vonnegut uses characterization throughout Slaughterhouse-Five to show

the shared humanity between the two sides of WWII. He illustrates the negative power of

stereotypes through Bertram Copeland Rumfoord and the American stereotype. He illustrates the
diversity among sides of the war through Ronald Weary, Paul Lazarro, and the group of German

soldiers. Finally, he illustrates the potential friendship between enemies through the Englishmen

and the Germans. War creates artificial divides, forcing stereotypes on groups of people.

Slaughterhouse-Five undermines those stereotypes to emphasize shared humanity on both sides

of the war.

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