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Billy Pilgrim has been through many cruelties in his life. As a child his own father was cruel to him. They had gone to the Y. M. C. A.
to teach Billy how to swim. A horrible, traumatic, event that would stay with Billy for the rest of his life. "Little Billy was terrified, because his father had said Billy was going to learn to swim by the method of sink-or -swim. His father was going to throw Billy into the deep end, and Billy was going to damn well swim" (43). Roland Wear was a very cruel man as well. He even to it as far as to try and kill Billy by kicking him in the spine. The only reason he had to kick Billy in the spine was because some organization Roland had in his mind about he, and the other two scouts being the "Three Musketeers." In Roland's mind, Billy had broken them up, he had severed the connection between the greatest fighting force in the army. "Weary drew back his right boot aimed a kick at the spine, at the tube which had so many of Billy's important wires in it.
Weary was going to break that tube" (51). A horrible and saddening event that even the U. S. A. would hide for twenty-three years from the people of its own nation.
The bombing of Dresden was the major cruelty for the simple reason that it killed so many innocent people with there being no military around. One of the most beautiful cities in the world to see devastated by war. "There were hundreds of corpse mines operating by and by. They didn't even smell bad at first, were wax museums. But then the bodies rotted and liquefied, and the stink was like roses and mustard gas" (214). Such horrible tragedies how could Billy ever even come close to being able to cope with them all?
Something must keep Billy sane. The failure to comfort Billy through human institutions, is how humanity has failed to try and comfort those less fortunate. Billy's daughter, who is trying to comfort him constantly, does not do a very good job for the fact that she puts down every single thing that Billy will say about Tralfalmadorian. If family should help comfort humans then why would Billy's daughter yell at him so often? Family is supposed to be understanding and sensitive to each other's problems and help them through it. "She raised hell with him about the letter in the paper" (29). Religion is one of the most widely know things, some people actually use it to help comfort them from there problems.
Poor Billy Pilgrim has to have a crucifix that shows Jesus dyeing on the cross. Even Religion, which almost everyone has found peace in, cannot comfort him. Religion is supposed to give meaning to life, through that meaning it should comfort. "Billy had an extremely gruesome crucifix hanging on the wall of his little bedroom in Ilium. A military surgeon would have admired the clinical fidelity of the artist's rendition of all Christ's wounds the spear that were made by the iron spikes Billy Christ died horribly. He was pitiful" (38). The institutions that Billy stayed at were horrible for him.
They could not meet the needs that could help comfort Billy. The people at these places should try and censor what other patients say, and visitors say around the special patients. "He often said to them, in one way or another, that people who were weak deserved to die" (193). All of these human creations to help people in Billy's situation and others who are to be considered mentally challenged, and not a single one would work. Billy through all of his hardships trying to find comfort could only be done through the Tralfalmadorian concept of time.
The idea behind the Tralfalmadorian's concept of time is that it is like a slide show. That it is possible to take a slide out and look at it, even relive it over and over again. The past, present, and even the future is all apart of this one big slide show. With this belief there can be no such thing as free will. Because if there was free will then you could change things that happen which, according to the Tralfalmadorian's, is impossible. Along with this disbelief of free will another truth must be stated.
There can be no guilt felt by anyone who has done a crime against another human being since the moment is structured so that you have no control over it. "Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen a bug trapped in amber" (76 - 77)? Through this Billy is able to find comfort in what has happened in life. Billy had finally managed to talk to someone who used to be in the air force, a Mr. Rumfoord. Billy was able to talk to him about the bombing of Dresden twenty-three years after it had happened, but through the Tralfalmadorian concept of time Billy is able to accept it.
Billy first shows signs here that he has accepted the Tralfalmadorian concept of time and has finally achieved the peace he has so long needed. "It was all right, said Billy. Everything is all right and everybody has to do exactly what he does. I learned that on Tralfalmadore" (198). As he was giving his speech in Chicago, Billy knew he would die that day by the end of his speech. This showed how much he had accepted what the Tralfalmadorian's had taught to him. "It is time for your to go home to your wives and children, and it is time for me to be dead for a little while-and then live again. " (142). Billy's belief in the Tralfalmadorian concept of time not only gives him peace of mind, but a courage that he will not fear death because he will still live in memories therefore not being dead at all.
The only way Billy could keep from going insane from the nagging question of "why", was to turn to the Tralfalmadorian concept of time. Billy now has the answers to any of the "why" questions he has ever asked. This makes life more free and comforting to many people since they may now have a guilt free mind. "Now he closes his speech as he closes every speech- with these words: farewell, hello, farewell, hello" (142).
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Research essay sample on Concept Of Time Bombing Of Dresden
