"I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you can see all kinds of things you can't see from the center."
My immediate reaction to this quote was that it is very relatable to Vonnegut's stance on suspense, which goes as such: the less, the better. Suspense is the "edge," and by having less of it, you are getting farther away from the center. Vonnegut wants to eliminate most suspense, so that the reader can focus more on the story being told and the major themes behind the novel, instead of thinking, "Uh, okay cool, so what happens next?" Relax ADD kids, you can have most of your answers up front, so maybe you can now focus on what the author is trying to get across to you.
Vonnegut gives us the last sentence of the book. He reveals very early on exactly how Billy will die. We blatantly informs us that a newly introduced character, Edgar Derby, will be shot by a firing squad for stealing a tea cup later on before most of us can even remember his name. Somehow, though, Vonnegut manages to do this without falling over the edge. The center is just too tempting to leave, and by giving us all these details an spoilers we are pushed to the edge. There, our minds become more open to the messages within the pages of the book. We realize that Vonnegut is telling us that stopping war and violence is impossible, that we should cherish the happy moments in life and forget the bad, that death is inevitable and should be welcomed with open arms.
How differently would our perspectives be if the spoilers were not prematurely announced? I know that I would be so shocked at Billy's lack of reaction to death threats and his eventual assassination that I wouldn't realize that he believed he was ready. I would be so immersed in my own point of view that I wouldn't appreciate Vonnegut's goal in his writing. My own feelings and reaction would naturally override my brain's thought process, at least during initial contact. In Edgar Derby's situation, by already knowing his fate, I was capable of noticing his character and personality more. His death would also come as a huge surprise to me at the end of the novel, which means that Vonnegut would have to use more that a sentence or two to explain the situation like he does. Derby's shooting, when we see it coming early on, shows us the cruelty of mankind towards each other, and the dark nature of war.
This quote can easily be interpreted differently by other readers, however, I felt that the relationship it had with Vonnegut's stance on suspense was very relatable, and it stood out to me very clearly.
Vonnegut gives us the last sentence of the book. He reveals very early on exactly how Billy will die. We blatantly informs us that a newly introduced character, Edgar Derby, will be shot by a firing squad for stealing a tea cup later on before most of us can even remember his name. Somehow, though, Vonnegut manages to do this without falling over the edge. The center is just too tempting to leave, and by giving us all these details an spoilers we are pushed to the edge. There, our minds become more open to the messages within the pages of the book. We realize that Vonnegut is telling us that stopping war and violence is impossible, that we should cherish the happy moments in life and forget the bad, that death is inevitable and should be welcomed with open arms.
How differently would our perspectives be if the spoilers were not prematurely announced? I know that I would be so shocked at Billy's lack of reaction to death threats and his eventual assassination that I wouldn't realize that he believed he was ready. I would be so immersed in my own point of view that I wouldn't appreciate Vonnegut's goal in his writing. My own feelings and reaction would naturally override my brain's thought process, at least during initial contact. In Edgar Derby's situation, by already knowing his fate, I was capable of noticing his character and personality more. His death would also come as a huge surprise to me at the end of the novel, which means that Vonnegut would have to use more that a sentence or two to explain the situation like he does. Derby's shooting, when we see it coming early on, shows us the cruelty of mankind towards each other, and the dark nature of war.
This quote can easily be interpreted differently by other readers, however, I felt that the relationship it had with Vonnegut's stance on suspense was very relatable, and it stood out to me very clearly.
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