Fragmented Memory, Temporal Dislocation, and the Futility of War in Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five

DOI

https://www.doi.org/10.59256/ijrtmr.20260605004

Published In

Volume 6, Issue 5 (2026)

Published Online

September-October 2026

Pages

34-39

Article Type

Original Article

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Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) remains a seminal intervention in twentieth-century war literature, notable for its unconventional treatment of time, memory, and trauma. The novel Slaughterhouse-Five, unsettles conventional linear narration by employing fragmentation, cyclical temporality, meta-fictional devices, and science-fictional frameworks, drawing on Vonnegut’s imprisonment during the 1945 Dresden bombing.This study examines Slaughterhouse-Five through the combined lenses of trauma theory and memory studies, integrating the work of Cathy Caruth, Dori Laub, Dominick LaCapra, Marianne Hirsch, Paul Ricoeur, and Bessel van der Kolk to argue that the novel’s fragmented structure reflects mirrors the psychological rupture inherent in post-traumatic experience. Billy Pilgrim’s temporal dislocation, hallucinations, emotional numbness, and compulsive return to war memories function as literary manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, the narrative’s fatalistic refrain “So it goes” exposes the normalisation of violence within wartime culture. By situating Slaughterhouse-Five within the broader tradition of anti-war fiction—including works by Joseph Heller, Tim O’Brien, and Erich Maria Remarque—this paper demonstrates how Vonnegut critiques the ethics of war representation and resists historical erasure. Ultimately, the study argues that Vonnegut’s refusal of narrative coherence constitutes a form of moral resistance, positioning literature as a crucial medium for bearing witness to atrocity while acknowledging the profound limits of representation.