Sophie Jackle
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Repetition of "so it goes."
In Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses repetition of the phrase “So it goes.”, without emotion, to convey through Billy his belief that death is inevitable and we are powerless to prevent it. The novel is a war story and the prominence of death emphasizes his belief that war is bad and shows the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Borrowed by Everystockphoto
This is the World War II memorial for fallen soldiers. Although this is only a small portion of the entire memorial each star represents the loss of a life, much like "So it goes." does in Slaughterhouse Five. "So it goes." is said a total of 106 times throughout the text.
TEXTUAL EXAMPLES
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms:
Billy is not affected by the death that surrounds him, this detachment is a sign of depression and PTSD. His response "so it goes" is his way of removing himself from it and ignoring it. TEXTUAL EXAMPLES
The statement "so it goes" happens so often that the reader is drawn to it. The purpose of this book is to show the horrors of war, and it does so through the many deaths Billy witnesses. It also shows the effects of PTSD because Billy is emotionally numb and detached.
John Green's interpretation of "So it goes" in Slaughterhouse Five starts at 8:20.
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