The writing style of Kurt Vonnegut is unique in that he is a postmodern writer, does not follow a linear writing style, and often resorts to flashback techniques. With it, he also has his own way of using diction, syntax, figures of speech, rhetorical patterns, and thematic strands. Some of the features of his writing style are as follows.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Word Choice
The Word choice of Kurt Vonnegut is specific and pointed. He uses symbols to create vivid pictures of scenes and relies heavily on simple wording. Sometimes, he follows the usual simple style when describing characters and narrating the story in question but resorts to difficulty when it involves using jargon such as in the passage taken from his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. This passage shows his careful use of appropriate words in appropriate places to inform about his studies, his work, and his support.
While I was studying to be an anthropologist, I was also working as a police reporter for
the famous Chicago City News Bureau for twenty-eight dollars a week. One time they
switched me from the night shift to the day shift, so I worked sixteen hours straight. We
were supported by all the newspapers in town, and the AP and the UP and all that.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Sentence Structure and Syntax
Although at places, Kurt Vonnegut uses broken and half sentences, they support his characters. It is the requirement of the story that he should use choppy sentences, but the interesting thing is that these sentences, whether they are small or long, emphasize his themes. For example, the short sentences used by Billy in his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, show that he wants the readers to see the destruction of Dresden through his eyes and language of Billy. This passage shows his short, medium, long, half, and choppy sentences that support his characters and themes.
So Billy Pilgrim had to sleep standing up, or not sleep at all. And food had stopped
coming in through the ventilators, and the days and nights were colder all the time.
On the eighth day, the forty-year-old hobo said to Billy, ‘This ain’t bad. I can be
comfortable anywhere.’
‘You can?’ said Billy.
On the ninth day, the hobo died. So it goes. His last words were, ‘You think this is bad?
This ain’t bad.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Figurative Language
Vonnegut, although uses plain and terse language, sometimes resorts to symbols, imagery, and irony. Specifically, the satire is highly biting and bitter. This passage from his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, shows his use of figurative language and irony latent in the blood and color. It also shows the use of symbols.
‘Blue is for the American sky,’ Campbell was saying. ‘White is for the race that pioneered
the continent, drained the swamps and cleared the forests and built the roads and bridges.
Red is for the blood of American patriots which was shed so gladly in years gone by.’
Kurt Vonnegut’s Rhythm and Component Sounds
The rhythm of the language of Kurt Vonnegut flows from his cohesion. At times, it seems that there is no cohesion, but the use of different motifs and specifically the use of refrains in some novels and stories create another rhythm besides the flow of language. For example, the sentence “So it goes” used by his character Billy Pilgrim in his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, connects the dots and creates a rhythm through cohesion in a way that the broken story seems fully connected. Some characters and their tasks, too, create a sort of rhythm, such as Kilgore Trout and Doberman.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Rhetorical Patterns
Regarding rhetorical patterns, Kurt Vonnegut uses clear descriptions through vivid images that highlight the destruction of war in Slaughterhouse-Five. He also depends on cohesion, as stated above that is in his language tied through different sounding names. Besides this, he uses short and long sentences in conjunction and resorts to history and true events for logos and his own biography for ethos. The passage given below from his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, shows his art of using ethos and logos as he tells about himself to support his claim. Besides this, he imperceptibly compares characters and situations to clarify his point and persuade his readers to accept his implicit point of view.
While I was studying to be an anthropologist, I was also working as a police reporter for
the famous Chicago City News Bureau for twenty-eight dollars a week. One time they
switched me from the night shift to the day shift, so I worked sixteen hours straight.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Themes
Using postmodern irony, Vonnegut highlights pacifism, social inequality, and human barbarism through the depiction of war in Slaughterhouse-Five. His short stories also depict the themes of violence, technology, and sexuality. Besides these, he also touches upon psychological issues, trauma, and dreams.
