After coming across “Billy Pilgrim” for what seems to be the hundredth time I decided to give it the importance it may be calling for. So anyways, what’s a pilgrim?
According to English Collins Dictionary and English Definition and Thesaurus, a pilgrim is: 1. a person who undertakes a journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. 2. Any wayfarer.
Based on these basic definitions we can begin to infer the purpose. Even though the room for religious interpretation exists (as will in any text), I think it is safe to say this isn’t a religious text. Even if I’m only three chapters into the book, I have found it aims more towards a social ambit, and not so much as shooting for religious convictions. This said, it is only suitable to manipulate the first definition towards my point. You may freak out over an erroneous usage of a definition, and if so, you are free to leave. Carrying on, the second definition comes in handy right now. Lest go ahead and forget the words sacred, religious and devotion as if we were stupid enough to read definitions without noticing words. Now our definition is something like: A person who undertakes a journey to a place and acts as a wayfarer for such.
The text insists on Billy as a pilgrim, or as the wayfarer. Now it is important to define his journey, and the cause of his pilgrimage. “Among the things Billy the pilgrim could not change were the past, the present, and the future” (Vonnegut, p.60). By mentioning change the author may hint for several ideas. You can only really change something you understand, for if you don’t the way to change is not a product of your will. Our pilgrim now begins to fit in, for he is beginning to comprehend it, he is investigating the past, present, and future in a hope to decipher time. It is certainly a journey through time in every way. Billy goes ahead of himself and falls back from the world every so often in his present. That explains why he is a wayfarer: he is exploring and living the concept of time contrary to any experience. We, readers, are being witness of that journey in a hope to make the change, for we must all first understand. With a new and clear vision of where the plot is heading, we can give sense to our interpretations later to understand what the author really means. We may not be the pilgrims in the story, but without public there is no book. Don’t mistake your importance as a reader. Quit being a passive reader, go ahead and question.
According to English Collins Dictionary and English Definition and Thesaurus, a pilgrim is: 1. a person who undertakes a journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. 2. Any wayfarer.
Based on these basic definitions we can begin to infer the purpose. Even though the room for religious interpretation exists (as will in any text), I think it is safe to say this isn’t a religious text. Even if I’m only three chapters into the book, I have found it aims more towards a social ambit, and not so much as shooting for religious convictions. This said, it is only suitable to manipulate the first definition towards my point. You may freak out over an erroneous usage of a definition, and if so, you are free to leave. Carrying on, the second definition comes in handy right now. Lest go ahead and forget the words sacred, religious and devotion as if we were stupid enough to read definitions without noticing words. Now our definition is something like: A person who undertakes a journey to a place and acts as a wayfarer for such.
The text insists on Billy as a pilgrim, or as the wayfarer. Now it is important to define his journey, and the cause of his pilgrimage. “Among the things Billy the pilgrim could not change were the past, the present, and the future” (Vonnegut, p.60). By mentioning change the author may hint for several ideas. You can only really change something you understand, for if you don’t the way to change is not a product of your will. Our pilgrim now begins to fit in, for he is beginning to comprehend it, he is investigating the past, present, and future in a hope to decipher time. It is certainly a journey through time in every way. Billy goes ahead of himself and falls back from the world every so often in his present. That explains why he is a wayfarer: he is exploring and living the concept of time contrary to any experience. We, readers, are being witness of that journey in a hope to make the change, for we must all first understand. With a new and clear vision of where the plot is heading, we can give sense to our interpretations later to understand what the author really means. We may not be the pilgrims in the story, but without public there is no book. Don’t mistake your importance as a reader. Quit being a passive reader, go ahead and question.
I like the way you went about this blog.
ResponderEliminarI disagree about the book and the public. The book still exists, even without the reader.