Quote: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom always to tell the difference." (Vonnegut, p. 60)
Comment: This quote brings to light Billy's perspective on life given to him by the Tralfamadorians, where time is the fourth dimension and is cyclical and non-linear. He believes that when the universe has time, and is made up of predefined, structured moments, it's very difficult to know what one can change and what one cannot. In many ways, this is also an idea that Vonnegut is attempting to convey in Slaughterhouse-Five. That people should cherish the good times, and forget the bad -- because there is nothing they can do about it. Vonnegut is struggling with the idea of fate versus free will.
Question: Can this quote be extended to fit a commentary on life of Vonnegut?
Person 1 and Person 2
Mike: "So it goes." Both this and the above quote attest to the idea of fate versus free will; Jesse brought up the fact that when Tralfamadorians die, they say this simple phrase because they think not about the poor condition of the person today, but the great life they lived. This and the above quote, and the idea of the alternate perspective on time of Tralfamadorians in general contribute to the fate versus free will debate. Vonnegut may share the Tralfamadorian perspective of fate, or that of free will on Earth, which might be more predestined. This was all fashioned through war, and an ideology of what war brings to us. The Tralfamadorians may all be seasoned war veterans. He is using the Tralfamadorian view of time to argue something else.
Person 3
Jacob talked about Jesse's quote about Billy Pilgrim setting the scene, and Mike mentioned the significance of Vonnegut's voice.
War takes from you your humanity; going back in time fixes you. Chronology matters. It makes you cynical, and takes from you the free will and innocence of youth.
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