In chapter 5, when Billy was with the Tralfamadorians, one of the guides mentioned that they know how the universe ends. "'We blow it up, experimenting with new fuels for our flying saucers. A Tralfamadorian test pilot presses a starter button, and the whole Universe disappears.' So it goes" (117).
The Tralfamadorian claims that there is nothing they can do about it, because he always presses the button, and they'll always let him. It's how the moment is structered. So I was wondering if they're living in the past, or have they visited the future to know how it ends? They also inform Billy that the 'Earthlings' should learn to ignore the awful times and concentrate on the good ones. But how does one achieve that when there is a huge war going on with so many people dying? The Tralfamadorians don't have to deal with the war, but Billy does.
I wonder if there is anything like war on Tralfamadore. You bring up a good argument, that the Tralfamadorians cannot tell the Earthlings how to behave until they have experienced the things that we have gone through. Although it seems insensitive to destroy the universe and make no attempt to repair your actions, I think the Tralfamadorians realize that events are set in place before they happen. They have developed their saying, "So it goes," to justify their own powerlessness against time.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about that: how they can't control what happens "so it goes". It's an interesting point, actually. It makes a difference when I read it now, because at first I thought it was insensitive how it was used. But now it changes my perspective on the story being told.
ReplyDelete"So it goes" sounds like it would be used as a reassurance to oneself, as if they were saying, "Oh, well," or "That's the way it is". They acknowledge the death that has taken place, but realize that there is nothing they can do about it.
ReplyDelete