Time for a Re-Model

Chapter 3 of Slaughterhouse-Five is merely a finale to chapter 2, in my opinion. The same transitions of Billy’s time travel between past to present or present to past is seen to be confusing. I have found it difficult to understand if Vonnegut states that the present is Billy’s war experience or if it is when he is an optometrist in the 60’s. With these transitions I can say that this novel has a circular time frame, going back and forth and starting all over again having consequences in his past, present and future. 

Well I couldn’t say consequences but more as connections because each action Billy does in the past will then time travel him to the future of an exact moment where the action is repeated. Each time he goes to sleep in the past or present, he time travels in the future or past by being woken up, he was sleeping both in the past and future. So what I am getting to is that Billy’s time travel “talent” works when a specific type of anecdote that Billy has in his life happens. Specifically these flashbacks or time travels occur to help Billy remember and to fix the mistakes he committed, that is why Billy has the poster:

“GOD GRANT ME

THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT

THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,

COURAGE

TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN,

AND WISDOM ALWAYS

TO TELL THE

DIFFERENCE.”

Which he needs to overcome is mistakes.