In many of Vonnegut’s Novels, we see how he constructs relationships between characters through power, money, gender etc. This novel seems to be an attempt to get closer with “real” America. By presenting Midland City, a sort of Anywhere USA, he is trying to satirize and poke fun at real American problems involving these social relationships.
What are some good examples of this from the novel? We can look at the main characters, Kilgore Trout and Dwayne Hoover, or some of the secondary characters such as Francine, Harry, or even some of the characters in Kilgore’s meta-fictional novels.
I think that the whole novel is basically constructed around power relationships. One less obvious one that I found interesting was the pimp and the prostitutes. I found it interesting how he said something along the lines of “He (the pimp) took their free will, which was OK with them because they didn’t want it anyway”
Also, Dwayne Hoover is in a position of power with just about everyone except for Vonnegut himself. Vonnegut has power over everyone. Inserting himself in the novel the way he does is an obvious commentary on God. Note that Vonnegut cannot control the characters outright, just guide them. What is Vonnegut telling us about God?
One theme that recurred in the novel was that of being in a cage. In terms of relationships, I think that this represented a possible barrier between characters and their inability to have meaningful relationships. Through many parts of the book, the interactions Kilgore and Dwayne had with the outside world seemed superficial. Dwaynes sanity seemed to be “caged” out of his interactions the outside world just like Kilgore was empathetically removed in most of his encounters. Kilgore referred to where he lived as being his cage, and when bill was set free he returned to his cage. This could possibly have been vonnegut saying that the importance of having meaningful social interactions was lost on americans in favor of staying caged from the happenings of the outside world.
“Roses are red
And Ready for plucking
You’re sixteen,
and ready for high school”
An interesting relationship around page s 140,141 was one between Patty Keene and Dwayne. She basically wants him because with his money and power, all of her problems would go away. “He could give her a fine house and new automobiles…”
This really outlines these themes of money and power, as we see someone so subordinate to Dwayne simply because of them. And if Dwayne wasn’t going insane, he probably would have gone for it, as most rich guys do in the world. Shows how fabricated relationships can at times be,
Obviously as the above 3 have already mentioned it, Dwayne’s relationship with everyone in Midland City is a strange one. Everyone basically loves him because he litters their media with his annoying car ads. They all feel like they can “trust” Dwayne, therefore they must know Dwayne on a personal level. Every person who sees him recognizes him and doesn’t hesitate to tell him exactly how they feel about him. Local Celeb gone mad.
What about Kilgore Trout’s relationship with his bird. The same as Billy Pilgrim and his dog. Also, Rumfoord and his dog in Sirens of Titan. These 3 men have one single healthy(?) relationship in their lives and it is with their pets who can’t talk, and frankly don’t have a choice. All three are unable to relate to another human being on a level that allows for them to be in a co-dependent relationship. Kilgore said himself that he married lovely women whom he each in turn destroyed.
Do you think that his could be a reflection about how Vonnegut feels about the general public? That maybe they aren’t worth the time it takes to relate to them. Are they?
Maybe Kilgore and my Grandma have a point. Is it worth or important enough to make those connections with other people? Or should we just shut them out and stay home with our cat/bird/dog/pet rock?
I don’t agree with this, just posing the question.