臺灣博碩士論文加值系統

論 文 提 要
寇爾特、馮內果的小說普遍彌漫著一股宿命之言談，多數的學者及讀者皆視其為宿命論者。馮內果似乎在『第五號屠宰場』中倡議著主角聽天由命的被動性格。馮內果甚至將人類的處境形容成昆蟲似地陷在琥珀中，這實在是因為他實在看到太多人性的黑暗。但若以此觀點來看待馮內果書中的精神就是鼓勵著命定觀，郤是略有爭議的。
雖然馮內果的『第五號屠宰場』，其中也祭出了許多帶有宿命觀的言辭，例如 ‘就這樣吧’ 或是 ’這沒有為什麼可言’ 又或是 ‘時間的結構就是設計成這樣’，似乎鼓勵著小說中主角的退郤與無奈，但若以此真為馮內果這部小說所要傳導的真意，那麼馮內果也不需要籌劃了23年才完成此部帶有半自傳式的小說。馮內果大可以像小說中主角隱遁在個人的幻想世界中假裝世界太平。依此觀察，此篇論文著重在假設此部小說利用了宿命論來佈置一個帶有宿命觀的世界，進而抗議、諷刺戰爭的殘暴、乃至整個社會，甚至擴及整個世界的不仁與不公。
故在第一章中述及馮內果本人之生平及戰爭經驗，加深了他對人世悲觀的看法，進而更憤世嫉俗地認為人世無常是造物者任意的擺弄，故而更是相信宿命論。但是，既自相矛盾又自我諷刺地，馮內果又賦予書中主人翁自由意志去傳導外星人之觀念，那就是世界上是沒有自由意志這種東西的。依此觀察，繼而判定馮內果的真意，乃在藉宿命論諷刺，而非倡導宿命論。因為他又似乎鼓勵著人們跳脫人性的桎梏，莫如昆蟲死陷琥珀中。因此，與其稱馮內果為宿命論者，不如視其為一個鬥士。第二章述及馮內果先創造出外星人綁架地球人的架構，再利用外星人之口來營造外星人特有的時間觀及死亡觀，進而建構出一個帶有宿命論的世界。馮內果是運用宿命論來控訴戰爭的殘酷，以較委婉又幽默的方式導出戰爭並非不能避免的。另一方面，其寫作目的也同時在諷刺當時的社會體制，及利慾薰心的政府。第三章，主要是述及書中主角如何劃地自限於自己所營造出的一個假想世界中。藉他的退縮與暗夜哭泣導出他的戰爭創傷現象，繼而無法自持於現實中，終究遁入空想世界。比利聽天由命了，但仍暗夜哭泣。作者之意，同樣地，一方面應該是在抗議戰爭的可怕，另一層面卻是在鼓勵著人要有堅強意志去擺脫命運的操弄，而非只是聽天由命。
結論，馮內果利用宿命論來降低戰爭的可怕程度，也利作者能用較委婉的方式寫出他個人的傷痛。文中最後一段，馮內果甚至以樹枝發新芽及棺材狀之馬車，分別暗示著”生與死”的意象。馮內果看似在推舉那種聽天由命的人生態度，但實際上，他在啟示人生要能重新看待死亡，死亡不足以懼，重要的是如何保握現有的一切，善加利用。意即要懂得從創傷中重生。人不能改變的是過去，但是未來是掌握在個人的意志裡，可以去改變的。因此，馮內果雖然將人在文中比喻成像昆蟲似地陷在琥珀中，但他似乎在反諷著人們，莫要再劃地自限，要化不可能為無限的希望。超脫命運的擺佈，再秉著善良的天性，要能學會愛與慈悲，繼而超越對死亡的恐懼；最重要的是，懂得活著的意義；最後，期望著戰爭不再。

Abstract
Fatalistic perspective assertions permeate throughout Kurt Vonnegut’s fiction Most of the commentators and readers seem to treat Vonnegut as a believer of fatalism. He seems to advocate “resigned acceptance” and encourage “passive behaviors” of his protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, in his Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut even describes human condition as “bugs trapped in amber,” for he had seen too many dark sides in human nature. But this thought still leave to be controversial. And yet I prefer taking him as a fighter to seeing him a fatalist from my observation in the novel.
Although, we could see many fatalistic assertions such as “So it goes,” “There is no why,” and “The moment is structured that way” to emphasize the thought that Vonnegut seems to approve such fatalistic attitude of his protagonist. However, like his protagonist, Billy, Vonnegut could have withdrawn from the reality into a personal illusionary fantasy and pretended there was nothing bad at all after witnessing the firestorm in Dresden. Instead, he took twenty-three years to collect enough information to finish his masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut seemed to be sad and affected by war deeply for it seemed that he imprisoned himself into his fiction when the subject was concerned with the bombing at Dresden. In Slaughterhouse-Five, the author, Vonnegut, describes Billy seems to be imprisoned into his fate; but the author also offers his protagonist free will to start his preaching about the futility of free will after surviving from the plane crash. When we inspect this anecdote carefully enough, we would see that Vonnegut seems to satirize the humanity here instead of promoting the fatalistic concepts in the novel.
This thesis is an attempt to explore a possibility that Vonnegut’s employing fatalistic perspective assertions in Slaughterhouse-Five aim to offer a protest and further to satirize the injustice and inhumanity to this world. Therefore, Vonnegut acts more like a fighter than a fatalist. Thus, chapter one focuses on Vonnegut’s life and war experiences. From his negative view to human nature, I attempt to reinforce the impression that Vonnegut believes there is a possibility that this universe runs by fate, chance, and necessity. And yet, from the fact that this book also took him twenty-three years to gather information and compose, implying a message that Vonnegut tends to arouse people’s attention to notice the devastation of Dresden really happened. And also through his satirical attacks to suggest Vonnegut’s very message of this novel seems to indicate human should surpass human limitation to uphold the inherited good nature. In chapter two, the focus is put on how Vonnegut employs the frame of aliens’ abducting Billy, and infuses the author’s personal philosophy from these aliens, and thus creates a fatalistic world in the novel. He introduces the aliens’ concepts of time and death and integrates them to bring in a world full of fatalistic phrases in Slaughterhouse-Five. As to chapter three, it mainly discusses how Vonnegut presents his protagonist is intervened by fate during his war time and postwar lives; and how Billy under his unmet psychological need creates a fanatical alien world, the Tralfamadore, to escape and survive.
In conclusion, I conclude that besides fatalism acts as a writing technique in Slaughterhouse-Five to let his unspeakable story to be told, Vonnegut’s true message or spirit of the book is to convey that the past cannot be changed but we can change the future through making a good use of present despite fate’s intervention. Also, we should fear no death but learn the true meaning of life. Although, wars come like glaciers, we still could sustain our inherited goodness and learn to live with love and compassion, and hope no war again. Just break the amber, which symbolizes the bondage of human nature, if we dare to try we would turn the inevitability into possibility of daily events. Thus, Fatalism in Slaughterhouse-Five should act like a writing tool for Vonnegut to offer his subtle protest to the world’s inhumanity and injustice instead of advocating the concept of fatalism here.

Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………… 1
Chapter One Fatalism and Kurt Vonnegut………………… 15
Chapter Two Fatalism and Tralfamadorian Time Concept………38
Chapter Three Fatalism and Billy Pilgrim…………………… 62
Conclusion……………………………………………………………88
Works Cited…………………………………………………………100

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