Intangible.
Indescribable.
It’s free will.
"'If I hadn’t spent so much time studying Earthlings,’ said
the Tramalfadorian, ‘I wouldn’t have any idea what was meant by ‘free will.’ I’ve
visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe, and I have studied reports
on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will’” (Vonnegut
86).
Free will is certainly very difficult to describe. I believe
that it can’t really be defined… and according to the Tramalfadorian, it doesn’t
even exist; it is only a figment of humans’ imagination. I think that free will
is simply the choice to do what we want. God gives us rules, our souls, and a
limited amount of knowledge, and it is up to us as humans to freely do as we
will. So why is free will important in Slaughterhouse Five? Well, free will
could be used for the good. Free will allows us to love who we wish, assist
those in need, and hold spiritual, conscientious lives.
In regards to Vonnegut’s novel, free will is mentioned
because it further stresses the evils and pointless goals of war. Humans have
had the free will to start war. Humans willed to be violent, to kill, to
pillage and destroy the lives of other humans, many of which never wronged them
directly. Slaughterhouse Five is an exploration of free will, as it contrasts
Billy Pilgrim being “unstuck in time,” (a violation of his free will) with the positive and negative free actions of the other people who played roles in his life. Through this,
Vonnegut reminds his readers that they, philosophically, have unlimited free
will and must rethink what they do with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment