One of the most distinctive aspects of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five is the structure in which it is written. Throughout the novel, Billy Pilgrim travels uncontrollably to non-sequential moments in his life or, as Vonnegut puts it, "randomly visiting all the events in between." (23). In order to illustrate this for the reader, Vonnegut uses a non-linear and seemingly sporadic storyline. However, by the end of the novel, Vonnegut's use of plot fragmentation is clear. By constantly jumping back and forth in time, Vonnegut keeps all of the novel's most significant events fresh in the reader's mind. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay With his immediate and thought-provoking introduction, “Billy Pilgrim broke free from time” (23), Vonnegut establishes that there is something unique. about Billy Pilgrim. By choosing the word “unstuck”, he implies that Billy has just freed himself from something. In doing so, Vonnegut also prepares the reader for the non-linear storyline that follows. In fact, the rest of the novel just consists of random moments from Billy Pilgrim's life. By describing Billy in this way, the reader gets an overall perspective of Billy as a person, instead of having a myopic view based on a particular incident in Billy's life. This same technique also allows Vonnegut to keep important parts of Billy's life fresh in the reader's mind throughout the novel. For example, Billy's experience during World War II and the bombing of Dresden are among the most significant aspects of his life. Vonnegut introduces them to the reader very early in the novel by simply mentioning that "Billy first came unstuck while World War II was in progress" (30). Once again, Vonnegut's style of writing allowed him to redefine what is meaningful in Slaughterhouse Five, as opposed to a typical chronological novel. As a result, the reader will be aware of the ongoing war, allowing them to form a mental image that constantly develops with each event Billy encounters. Additionally, Vonnegut's ability to give a first-hand account of an event before it occurs chronologically allows readers to think about an event as it resurfaces later in the novel. Again, this theme ties strongly into Billy's wartime experiences. Vonnegut returns repeatedly to the violence and destruction that surrounded Billy while he was a prisoner of war. And since these frightening and damaging thoughts rarely leave Billy's mind, Vonnegut makes sure they do the same for the reader. While Billy's horrific experiences during the war play an active role in his personality and lifestyle, he is further manipulated by his ability to "detach himself from time." Because Billy is constantly jumping back and forth in time, he never has the opportunity to feel comfortable in a single moment in his life. As a result, Billy says he is in "a constant state of stage fright" (Vonnegut 23). This explains Billy's lack of focus and initiative that is evident throughout the novel. He is forced to improvise his whole life, trying to describe it in one go, moving fearfully from one moment to the next, always without warning. Billy's life consists of pieces that have no obvious coherence with one another. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Vonnegut himself summarizes the meaning of his approach in.