Something that was brought up today briefly was the aspect of body image. There seem to be conflicting views throughout the novel about body image. The Englishmen, for example, are fascinating in their obsession with body image, and their subsequent ability to stay alive because of it. In other circumstances, though, like that of Edgar Derby, his body doesn’t seem to help him at all. It may have helped him when he was a tennis court at his high school, but in Dresden, bullets cut through nicely shaped muscle the same way they cut through deformed muscle.
What are some different ways in which we can view Vonnegut’s reference to body image, not only in these instances, but in others as well? Namely Valencia, Billy in the zoo or any others you can think of
Vonnegut depicts Billy Pilgrim’s wife as an obese cow, constantly munching on candy bars like 3 Musketeers and Milk Ways. When Billy describes his fiancée, he concludes that he knew he was crazy when he heard himself proposing, in fact begging “ugly” Valencia to be his wife. However, later on in the chapter, when they are in bed together, and she suggests that she wants to lose weight for him, he tells her he loves her just the way she is because, he knows through time travel that their marriage will be “at least bearable” all the way. Suggesting that its more than bearable at parts, which is more to be said for a lot of marriages that come out of relationships based heavily on body image. Conversely, Billy introduces the idea that the Trafalmadorian’s must think that he is a perfect human specimen because they know nothing else of the human race. This introduces the idea of body image in the hand of society and it’s values. Trafalmadorian’s hold no values that relate to the human race, so they are unable to know what is not considered ideal on Earth’s realm. (Although, by the sound of Billy’s giant wang, I’d say he sounds like a perfect specimen)
I often think of body image can have a lot to do with sexuality and this book is definitely not lacking in that. It seemed quite pornographic at parts and really portrayed the idealization of the perfect female specimen. There was the “first” pornographic photograph that Billy saw while behind enemy lines. Walking in on the teenagers showering together, and also the movie star that Billy is stuck in the zoo with. The idea of beauty and nudity being related to innocence may be a theme when it comes to the shower scene. Vonnegut could be illustrating the devastating loss of innocent lives during the Dresden bombing.
I believe that what the Englishmen say about hygiene is crucial for our everyday lives. The way Billy sort of let himself go, in the sense if being human, really shaped the kind of person he was. He was never really cared for much whichexplained so much about his life and way of thinking.
Also, I noticed how in this book too the way he talks about women. Again he has a daughter who takes the form of a mother figure. Its pretty clear how Vonnegut portrays women and Im curious as to if thats how he really thought about women of or because his mother committed suicide someone close to him took that role and thats why he mentions that in a lot of his books.
One extract I found interesting that spoke to vonneguts interpretation of body image was towards the end of chapter five, just after the blue canopy had been dropped over the dome:
“The light from the single source threw the baroque detailing of Montana`s body into sharp relief. Billy was reminded of fantastic architecture, before it was bombed.“
I found it odd that her body was explicitly related to Dresden “before it was bombed“, implying that her beauty would not last forever. knowing this, he continued to build on their relationship until they slept together, which was described as being “heavenly“. Maybe he is saying that everyones body image is doomed to deteriorate, and thats its up to everyone to make the most of it in the moment, we dont know where the next moment will take us. Is it possible that vonnegut equated body image with how well people lived in the moment? This can also be seen in the English and their attitude towards personal hygene and how they kept moral high during the war.
That’s a really cool parallel. I definitely agree with you. Body image is whatever we make of it. In a prison camp it’s a way to stay sane. In a zoo on tralfamadore its something completely different. When we look at Valencia in the context of our own societal values we judge her in a certain way. But on Tralfamadore, none of the aliens have any perspective as to what is a distinctly “human” body type, so they assume Billy’s is exemplary, since it is on display. I think what it comes down to is that the ideas of what we think are proper body images are purely subjective, although they become less subjective or more subjective depending on the environment.
Yeah even after I posted that I continued reading and found another passage that I felt further stressed this idea. I can’t remember exactly, and I don’t my book on me, but it’s Billy’s description of a young woman as dull, but the type of woman that you wanted to put your babies in, essentially. What I take from Vonnegut in this situation is exactly what I was saying before, our society puts much value into people of a certain level of attractiveness that bypasses any need for a personality, or opinion of any kind.