Slaughter House V by Kurt Vonnegut is a very intriguing novel. At first glance this novel tackles the topic of fate vs freewill, while also attacking American ideology and literature's compartmentalizing of genre and form. As one begins to peel off these first initial layers of Vonnegut's novel it becomes evident that fear is in fact existent in his writing. The topic of fear, or lack there of, becomes most evident in the scenes of war. There is one scene specifically where, "somebody shot at the four from far away... Billy stood there politely, giving the marksman another chance." (33) This lack of fear is because Billy has time traveled. Billy knows what will happen and he knows that nothing can change that. He knows that he has no free will . This acknowledgement that one has no control seems to be almost therapeutic for Billy because it creates inside him an intense passivity. Billy knows that he has no control over the situation and therefore is not fearful because to Billy fear is pointless. What happens is what is meant to happen and if he dies, so it goes. Another aspect as to why Billy has no fear at this moment is because he already knows what will happen. When there is no more unknown in a situation fear tends to dissipate. This is because often times fear is a product of our own imagination. It results from when our mind wanders to what could be.
Even another interpretation of why Billy has no fear is because humans often tend to fear what we don't understand, and to Billy the Tralfalmadores have enlightened him. Since he is fully enlightened there is nothing he doesn't understand, and therefore, nothing that he fears. Whatever the reason is as to why Billy does not possess the emotion fear there is one thing that is for certain; he survives. This lack of fear, an instinct we believe helps us stay alive, has in fact kept Billy alive longer than any of his fellow colleague who possess fear. This then brings up the question is fear healthy and does it truly help us to survive? Billy's passivity has enabled him to flow through life unscathed, but would this passivity breed the same result for all of us?
