Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s personal data

As a German-American, vonnegut's national identity was severely tested during World War II. At the beginning of the war, vonnegut resolutely opposed the war and wrote many anti-war articles for Cornell Sun. However, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he changed his position and volunteered to join the army and went to Europe to participate in the war. At this time, vonnegut's belief in defending western civilization overwhelmed the national sentiment. 1944 12. vonnegut was captured by the Germans in the famous battle of Boji and held in the German city of Dresden. On February 1945, 13- 14, the British and American air forces bombed the undefended historical and cultural city of Dresden, and the whole city was destroyed, killing more than ten thousand residents. Vonnegut was kept in the cellar of a slaughterhouse and became one of the few people who narrowly escaped the disaster. This horrible experience made vonnegut unforgettable, and let him see how the vendetta between ethnic groups reached hysterical madness. Vonnegut named the last work of his life "A Man Without a Country", which shows that he no longer regards the United States as his motherland in terms of spiritual attribution. What is vonnegut's intention? I don't think he vented his resentment to the mainstream British and Americans from the standpoint of Germans. In fact, he abandoned the feud between the two ethnic groups in history, transcended the simple criticism of racial discrimination, and thought about the same problems faced by mankind from a higher angle. This state is admirable.

It is also for this reason that vonnegut's humor and satire often focus on the current government and politics. In The Man Without a Country published in 2005, he used the images of "Class C student of Yale University", "Oriental policeman" and "prophet". "Grade C students of Yale University" refers to students who graduated from Yale University with poor academic performance. Yale graduates have great influence on American politics. The CIA is called the Yale Alumni Association. Former US Presidents Clinton and Bush are both from Yale University. Vonnegut said that these Yale students were born in noble families and lacked knowledge. They are "blatant white supremacy" and have "the most terrible psychopathic personality". "Cornerstone Police" originally refers to the American police image in the comedy shot by American Cornerstone Film Company during 19 14- 1920. They are simple-minded and hard-working, but they always put on airs to maintain the prestige of the police. Vonnegut said that the United States has now been "taken over by despicable, vulgar, stupid and incompetent police". "Prophet" refers to all kinds of rulers who are good at confusing people and deceiving people in human history. Vonnegut said, "The biggest, most arrogant and ignorant prophecy in the world today is popular in Washington." "Our precious constitution has a tragic flaw, and I don't know how to make up for it. That is: only people who are insane want to be president. " It is these lunatics who "completely plunged our whole country and many other places on this planet into chaos, and it is these people who were born without right and wrong who suddenly took control."

Not serious writers and luddites

Vonnegut is studying biochemistry at university. From 65438 to 0947, he worked in the General Electric Research Laboratory in new york. Vonnegut was able to write science fiction novels such as Automatic Piano, Titan's Siren (1959) and Cat's Cradle (1963), and made his mark in the literary world as a "science fiction writer". These experiences can be said to be crucial. In 1960s, general critics often despised technical education and did not appreciate vonnegut's practice of bringing scientific thinking and scientific themes into literature, so he was classified as a "science fiction writer" to distinguish him from other serious writers. Vonnegut, who is in his twilight years, remembers this incident and says? "I'm thinking that I may have offended someone somewhere, so that I can't gain their trust and become a serious writer." In fact, vonnegut's scientific training made him have a deeper understanding of the relationship between modern science and technology and human alienation. He calls himself a Luddite and hates all scientific and technological inventions. He believes that "nothing has been built in the electronic society" and "progress is unbearable for me", and ecological disasters and environmental crises are the direct consequences of scientific and technological changes. In just over a hundred years, human beings have made engines, cars, ships and planes. By consuming a lot of fossil fuels, the world economy is accelerating; At the same time, pollutants emitted by fossil fuels are accelerating the destruction of the planet we live in. It is no exaggeration for vonnegut to say that when he was young, he drove a Swedish Saab around a small town, and the black smoke from the engine enveloped the town in darkness. He compared fossil fuels to drugs. Once people are addicted, they can never give up. He said, "We have been partying in cars for a century, which has greatly hurt this wonderful planet as a life support system, which is the only one in the whole galaxy."

A complete pessimist

Vonnegut is the youngest child in the family. When he was young, his parents and brothers always refused to let him participate in the conversation at the dinner table. He wanted to "make a blockbuster" and attract the attention of his family, so he deliberately told some funny jokes. He also likes to listen to comedy programs on the radio and imitates them unintentionally. After the war, vonnegut made a series of funny movies for TV stations, which gave him a chance to exercise and develop his humor talent. These experiences are all related to the formation of humorous style in his creation.

So, where does the "black" in vonnegut's humor come from? His father's unemployment and his mother's suicide as a teenager, especially the inhuman massacre in Dresden, are often mentioned by researchers. The work that best embodies his black humor style is Slaughterhouse Five. For a long time after the war, vonnegut always wanted to express the terrible and absurd massacre in words. At first, he wanted to follow the path of Hollywood war movies, but what he wrote was worthless. Until one day, he went to chat with a friend, and a word from his friend's wife woke him up? "You were nothing at that time, just children." Describing human behavior in the war as a baby's game and expressing the slaughter and violence in the war with a childlike eye, this brand-new "black humor" perspective gave birth to his Slaughterhouse Five.

However, in his later years, in The Man Without a Country, vonnegut devoted a lot of space to the pain caused by the loss of humor "cells" in his later years. Vonnegut admits that "making people laugh is a fucking chore". According to his own analysis, this situation is related to his complete despair of life. Humor is a way to "stay away from the cruel life and protect yourself", but in the end, everyone is very tired. The reality is so cruel that humor has no effect. In his later years, vonnegut claimed to be a "complete pessimist". When he was completely tired of life, black humor abandoned him. Just as the poem named "Elegy" in his last book ends: how poetic life will be when it is finally recorded by us. If the earth can speak with a floating voice, perhaps, from the lower part of the Grand Canyon-"it's over. "