Is There Closure in Slaughterhouse Five? Ellen Richards 10th Grade

Despite the fact that Kurt Vonnegut ends the novel Slaughterhouse Five in a manner that provokes the reader to believe it shows that the conflict has reached closure, the very end of the novel represents a new beginning. The author uses the last few paragraphs to tie the novel together by describing the end of the war in detail and in the process implies a renewal with symbols including springtime, the morning, and the trees that were “leafing out.” Amidst the implied sorrow that one automatically equates with endings, such as the closed down mines, the missing soldiers, and lack of humans, the theme of renewal along with the singing birds supersedes the aftermath of war. The very end of the novel encapsulates the overall theme of the horrors of war and escape from destruction and violence into peace.

Some may argue that the final paragraphs of the novel represent the end of the novel rather than the commencement of a new beginning. Indeed, some may interpret the sound of the birds in the same manner they are introduced at the beginning of the novel. In fact, one may argue that the last few paragraphs of the novel mirror the initial introduction of the birds on page 24. In the beginning, the reader learns about the birds in...