Hilarity in Vulgarity

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

At times, Vonnegut's novel becomes somewhat difficult to follow, what with Billy's constant time traveling and discourses with aliens.  It can also become fairly serious, as Vonnegut focuses in to convey his message about humanity.  In order to entertain his audience, provide comic relief, and ensure his message is received as slap on the cheek rather than a violent castigation, Vonnegut incorporates vulgar, yet humorous, scenes.  He also handles well how he writes these scenes.  For example, after Roland Weary proclaims to all that Billy Pilgrim killed him, Billy felt understandably on edge.  Billy became anxious to the point of "shitting thin gruel" when someone entered his boxcar, an act which Vonnegut comically relates to Newton's Third Law of Motion and rocketry (Vonnegut 80). This vulgar image elicits humor, lightening the overall mood of the novel, while not digressing too far from Vonnegut's purpose.  Later in the novel, Vonnegut utilizes a similar image to describe the hell that is war.  He describes a moment where a captive Billy, having eaten a large welcoming feast from other prisoners of war, comes upon the latrine the prisoners are to use.  He witnesses men expelling "everything but [their] brains" and retreats in disgust (Vonnegut 125).  Vonnegut writes specifically that after coming upon the men, "Billy reeled away from his vision of Hell" (Vonnegut 126).  As such, he paints war out to be a disgusting, nasty business but also allows for laughter a such a ridiculously unfortunate scene.