In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse Five, there is a big presence of science fiction. Living through the war and the firebombing of Dresden would have been a very traumatic experience. One that would leave the people who experienced it wishing they could have avoided it.

In chapter 5, Billy Pilgrim and Rosewater read lots of science fiction books while in the hospital. They were left hurt and mentally frazzled “so they were trying to re-invent themselves and their universe. Science fiction was a big help” (101).

The science fiction aspect of this Slaughterhouse Five seems to be Vonnegut’s attempt to reinvent himself. He is caught in between wanting to express what happened to him and his comrades while wishing he could have changed his reality. The time travel, aliens and all of the fictitious aspects of this novel is the part of Vonnegut wishing he could change his past and using science fiction as a coping method. The truthful parts of the novel is the part of Vonnegut wanting to document and share his experiences. I wonder if deceiving himself by using science fiction actually helps him cope, or if it just contributes to his stress and confusion.