We've debated in our discussions of Slaughterhouse-Five about the Billy's character. He's definitely not the stereotypical war hero, dashing out gallantly to defeat enemies and save the day. Nope, wishy-washy "so it goes" Billy Pilgrim is the complete opposite of that. He doesn't even try to save his life - he even gives snipers a second shot since they missed the first one. But is Billy a plain idiot, or is he actually an enlightened human being that manages to see the true beauty of the world?
There are many references to the Bible in Billy's story. There's the whole thing with the captain's shiny golden boots, in which Billy sees Adam and Eve, the symbols of mankind's lost essential innocence, and the androgynous pretty German boy, who is referred to as "a blond angel." Also, after Billy gets pushed into a shrub for the sake of a reenactment of the capture of the Americans, he keeps seeing something like St Elmo's fire around everyone's head, like a halo of light. And Billy seems to be a sincerely nice person - after all, he wants to share the news of the Tralfamadorians with everyone, to share their opinions of death and time, that because people will always be alive at some point, you don't have to be too sad when they die. Perhaps Billy sees the world through a purer lens (because of the Tralfamadorian influence?) and is able to kick back and enjoy the world since he already know what is happening has always happened and always will happen, no matter what he does. So while everyone around him is worrying about their fate, Billy can enjoy the little things in life and just float along, letting life take him where it wants to go.
Which really, really, ticks off everyone, since they're trying to survive while this bumbling fool is just enjoying the scenery, not caring if he dies or not.
Furthermore, Billy's last name, Pilgrim, could suggest a march to find a spiritual end. And there's also how Billy even got involved with the war. He was supposed to be a chaplain's assistant, which is a religious job.
What are your opinions? Is Billy a plain idiot, overly influenced by his time on Tralfamador (or his imagination - does Tralfamador only exist in Billy's mind?), or has he managed to transcend to a different plain of existence in comparison to his human counterparts and see things in a new light?
Friday, March 16, 2018
Friday, March 2, 2018
The Book of Thoth -- Important?
In our panel presentation, we touched briefly upon the topic of the Book of Thoth being the 'key' of Mumbo Jumbo, the 'final evidence' for the conspiracy surrounding Von Vampton and the Wallflower Order. We know that the Book of Thoth is important to the plot; Papa LaBas mentions throughout the book that Jes Grew is searching for "its Text," which is revealed to be the Book of Thoth. But how much impact does it actually have, besides being the Text that Jes Grew needs?
Say that the Book of Thoth still existed in the box the Papa LaBas brought. The rest of history afterwards would probably have changed drastically. For instance, because the Book was never proven to have existed, Papa LaBas' influence in the future is merely that of a yearly speaker for Jes Grew Day. He is considered "an eccentric old character from the 20s who thrills us with his tales about those golden times and his role in bringing about the holiday we are celebrating today," as a certain professor so aptly put it. But if Papa LaBas revealed the actual Book, in the best case scenario, he would have been hailed as a hero who brought the wrongs of the Atonists to light, instead of a talkative old man with very...interesting...ideas in an Atonist environment.
And as hinted at in the previous paragraph, that existence of the Book of Thoth could cause the mainstream Atonist worldview to wither away, and the 'true' African worldview to regain its prominence. We know that without the Book, the Atonists still held control of the world and had brainwashed even more Africans and African-Americans to hold those views as the years progressed. If it was proven that loas and the dances and Jes Grew were real things that influenced people, not just in terms of logic and scientific analysis, then perhaps more people would go back to the traditional ways and see the 'loa,' not 'a nervous breakdown.'
Thoughts?
Say that the Book of Thoth still existed in the box the Papa LaBas brought. The rest of history afterwards would probably have changed drastically. For instance, because the Book was never proven to have existed, Papa LaBas' influence in the future is merely that of a yearly speaker for Jes Grew Day. He is considered "an eccentric old character from the 20s who thrills us with his tales about those golden times and his role in bringing about the holiday we are celebrating today," as a certain professor so aptly put it. But if Papa LaBas revealed the actual Book, in the best case scenario, he would have been hailed as a hero who brought the wrongs of the Atonists to light, instead of a talkative old man with very...interesting...ideas in an Atonist environment.
And as hinted at in the previous paragraph, that existence of the Book of Thoth could cause the mainstream Atonist worldview to wither away, and the 'true' African worldview to regain its prominence. We know that without the Book, the Atonists still held control of the world and had brainwashed even more Africans and African-Americans to hold those views as the years progressed. If it was proven that loas and the dances and Jes Grew were real things that influenced people, not just in terms of logic and scientific analysis, then perhaps more people would go back to the traditional ways and see the 'loa,' not 'a nervous breakdown.'
Thoughts?
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