The Slaughterhouse Five- Time Travel

In "The Slaughterhouse Five" by Vonnegut, was very interesting. I thought the manner in which he wrote the story was a very original and less intrusive way to tell his story of the Dresden Bombings. He used time travel, and other worldly beings to help the story along in a fashion that would not be interpreted as so grim. The Time travel aspect, while impossible, almost gives the story a more real feel, at least for me. Sometimes when people hear of such horrible things as the Dresden Bombing, they tend to shut down and deny that we as a species are capable of such things. The time travel in the story makes people understand and want to believe more than they would have if Vonnegut had given a blunt recreation of what happened.

The Hitchhiking Game

When we read "The Hitchhiking Game" in class, it was hard for me to grasp all of the hidden messages and the true story line. At first I thought it was just a story about a couple that was getting tired of each other, so one of them decided to spice up the relationship. However when I read it again, i realized that both of the people in the relationship were damaged in a way. The man was damaged in the sense that he could not find pure love for his companion, because while he did love some things about her, he did not love all. The woman was damaged in the sense that she was constantly critiquing herself and the way her companion acted towards her. She did this so much that she could not fully enjoy the company of her companion. I think this story speaks to all relationships, but the relationship in the story was definitely in need of some help.