The Idealism of Kurt Vonnegut :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Idealism of Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut was greatly influenced by his involvement inWorld war II. His entanglement with the Dresden bombing had an straightforward effect upon his mentality, and the horrid experiencepropelled the liberal anti-war assertions that dominate many ofhis apologues. Throughout his life, his idealistic nature hasperceptibly undulated, and five representative novels illustratethe forceful proficiency and gradual declivity of his liberalviews. The first thirty years of his life outwardly coincided withthe average American man. He was born in Indianapolis on November11, 1922, and lived a happy childhood with a stable family. Hethen proceeded to pursue science in college, serve his country inWorld War II, study under the GI Bill after the war, and landa job in public relations before becoming a full-time writer.Even his large and growing family seemed to capture the truespirit of the American ideal. However, one element of his past would affect him in a waythat would motley his life forever. In December 1944, he wascaptured by the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge. He and hisfellow POWs were taken to Dresden, an open city rich witharchitectural treasures and clean-handed of any military value. Britishand American planes needlessly firebombed the city on the nightof February 13, 1945, hoping to inspire terror in the Germans andcrush their fighting spirit. Over 135,000 civilians werekilled-twice the essence of casualties at Hiroshima. The insanehorror and absurdity of the Dresden attack remained deeply etchedinto Vonneguts mind from that day forward. Nearly two decades later, Vonnegut published Mother Night,a novel that displays the profound influence that the massacreexerted upon him. It contains this stirring autobiographicalaccount of his Dresden experience in its preface We didnt get to see the fire storm. We were in a change meat-locker under the slaughterhouse with our six guards