Vonnegut Mother Night Essay Research Paper Mother

Vonnegut Mother Night Essay, Research Paper

Mother Night Research Paper

Over the years, such world-renowned authors as Mark Twain and J. D. Salinger have shown readers how literature reflects the era in which it is written. Another author who has also made significant contributions to American literature is Kurt Vonnegut, author of such well-known novels as Slaughterhouse 5 and Cat s Cradle.

Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana (”Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.”). Vonnegut attended Cornell University in 1940 where he wrote for the Cornell Daily Sun (”Chronology”). In 1943, Vonnegut joined the United States Infantry. He fought in World War II for the 106th Infantry Division until 1945 when he was captured by the Germans and shipped to a work camp in Dresden. It was here in the city of Dresden where Vonnegut witnessed the American/British firebombing that killed an estimated 135,000 people. “[Vonnegut] tried for many years to put into words what he had experienced during that horrific event…It took him more than twenty years, however, to produce Slaughterhouse Five” (”Vonnegut in WWII”).

Slaughterhouse Five is Vonnegut’s most famous work. In this book, Vonnegut fictionally recreates his experience in Dresden. However this book wasn’t published until 1969, and he had published several works before this. His first book, Player Piano, was published in 1952; and his third, Mother Night, was published in 1961 (”Chronology”). Even though Slaughterhouse Five was Vonnegut’s only novel to re-create his experience in Dresden, a strong anti-war theme can be found in his earlier literature as well. A fine example of one of his works that fits this description is Mother Night. The novel takes place in an open jail in Old Jerusalem. The protagonist introduces himself by saying, “My name is Howard W. Campbell, Jr. I am an American by birth, a Nazi by reputation, and a nationless person by inclination, The year in which I write this book [is] 1961″ (Vonnegut 17). In first-person narration Campbell accounts stories from before, during and post World War II. The reader learns that Campbell lived in Germany before the war entertaining Nazis as a playwright. He and his wife Helga had no intention of leaving Germany once war became a threat. Campbell tells the reader that in 1938 he was recruited as an American special agent who was to pose as a Nazi propagandist during the war. The reader learns that this is the reason Campbell is currently behind bars in; he is to be tried by Israel for severe war crimes of spreading propaganda. However, the book focuses more on Campbell’s life until the scene returns to the Old Jerusalem prison for the resolution.

As previously mentioned, Slaughterhouse Five was Vonnegut’s first book to deal directly with the Dresden firebombing. But Vonnegut has always had a strong dislike for war, and his novels reflect this.

“He alludes to [World War II] repeatedly in his fiction, as if compelled to somehow come to terms with it if not erase it. Mother Night does not deal directly with the bombing of Dresden- the raid has no part in the plot- but that in a sense is what the book is about” (CLC 3:496).

One of the most interesting things about Mother Night is the way the book reflects both the World War II era and the author’s personal reflections and opinions. Mother Night’s historical content includes the usage of characters that actually once existed and events that actually took place during the war. Vonnegut’s personal reflections are exhibited through his satiristic view of life and his use of sarcasm in the novel. A perfect example is when Campbell talking with Dr. Paul Joseph Goebels (historically the Head of the German Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda), and they are discussing the Gettysburg Address. Goebels finds the address enchanting and suggests that it should be sent to der Fuehrer (historically Adolf Hitler who served as the head of the Nazi party throughout World War II). A copy of the speech is sent to Hitler and he returns a note to Campbell regarding the address as a “fine piece of propaganda” (Vonnegut 27-8). This example alludes to two historical people of World War II but describes a situation which was not true. Hitler using the Gettysburg Address as propaganda is symbolic of the control and manipulation that he tried to gain over the English-speaking population. This example shows Vonnegut’s use of historical content and satire, therefore it verifies that Vonnegut’s work was reflective of both himself and of World War II era. Throughout the novel it is not difficult to find similar examples and observations.

World War II, having a huge impact on Vonnegut’s life, has quite a large role in Mother Night. And Vonnegut alludes to many of the famous names of the war throughout this novel. The first of these names mentioned is Paul Joseph Goebels. Campbell actually first mentioned his name to one of his guards in the prison (Vonnegut 19). Goebels, being the Head of the German Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda is actually Campbell’s old boss, under whom he daily spread German propaganda to the English- speaking world. The next famous name that appears in the reading is that of Adolf Hilter. The majority of the world most likely knows the name, for it is one of the most powerful in history. Next mentioned is “Rudolf Hoess, commandant of Auschwitz” (Vonn