Dresden

From the beginning of the novel it was revealed to the reader that Vonnegut was writing a book about Dresden. He had been there, Billy Pilgrim had been there, and it had all been a big deal. Now, years later, it was something he had to get off his chest, so he was going to write a book about it. It seemed though, when I read this book, that not much was said about Dresden. Every time there was a page or two written about Dresden, Billy would travel somewhere else in time as if to get away from Dresden. If he wanted to write a book on the subject, why keep running away from it? I guess just getting it off his chest was what he needed. I guess sometimes for me it is enough too. Sometimes it's not enough though. Sometimes for the bigger things in life, just saying it out loud isn't enough, is never enough. We know they went to pre-bombing Dresden and it was beautiful. We know they stayed in Slaughterhouse number Five. We know Dresden was firebombed and almost no one survived except Vonnegut and Billy Pilgrim. We know they mined corpses on the moon like surface. About the mustard gas and roses. It was tragic. It was horrible, but that's all we really know. It was enough for Vonnegut though. I guess that had I experienced something of that magnitude in its tragedy, it would probably be enough for me too. And then sometimes it's never enough.