Defy Society

What a brilliant mate Vonnegut is.

Once again criticizing society and its taboos.

He might be arising some fury in society.

While reading the second chapter of “Slaughterhouse Five” I noticed a close resemblance with a Spanish book I read couple of months ago. “Opio en las Nubes” written by Rafael Chaparro felt so similar. It was not the content of the books that related but the authors’ style of writing. They seem to be writing carelessly, sloppy and repeating words, yet they could convey so much by doing so. The wording is so simple, the ideas so clear but still the words match so eloquently. It is hard to explain these books.

In some sense the books do relate in their content. Billy the main character of “Slaughterhouse Five” is considered a maniac by society. Well, who would not consider someone that when they insist on the existence of aliens and a land called Trafalmadore. Both main characters are out of ordinary society parameters, which links back to the way the authors write, out of verse freely without rules. Kurt Vonnegut as well as Rafael Chaparro could care less what critics have to say about their books. They are exposing every flaw of society and criticizing stereotypes. Imposing their own rules.

Billy mentions that one thing he learned from his visit to this new land, Trafalmadore, was that if a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past. He insists that there is no need to mourn your loved, they taught you things in the past and marked your lives in those moments. They are able to live forever after death. Which at first the idea of dying as society has showed us is devastating and horrid. Still if you look at things the way Billy illustrates us, death is not that horrid. The essence of the one that has gone and what you were able to appreciate from him while he was alive is worth much more.