Chapter One: Mutt and Jeff

  


     Vonnegut has a nice way of making comparisons throughout the chapter. There was just one comparison that caught my eye. I was very curious about the relationship Vonnegut explained about O’Hare and Vonnegut saying “We were Mutt and Jeff in the war” (pg. 4). I kept reading over the phrase “Mutt and Jeff.” My curiously got the better of me; therefore, I naturally looked up the names. Mutt and Jeff was a comic strip created in 1907. I discovered a YouTube video that revealed a tall and skinny man (Mutt) and a short and bald man (Jeff). These two men always seem to find trouble or trouble finds them. They have dangerous and funny adventures. Once I got a good idea of Mutt and Jeff, I compared them to the two men from the movie Dumb and Dumber. Then, I focused on the book. I linked the relationship between Mutt & Jeff and Vonnegut & O’Hare and came to a conclusion. Similar to Mutt and Jeff, Vonnegut and O’Hare probably had some crazy quests during the war. In the end, they always pulled through for each other to remain somewhat safe during the war and friends. Another simple reason Vonnegut compared Mutt & Jeff to his relationship with O’Hare was because O’Hare was short (Jeff) and he was tall (Mutt), thus creating Mutt and Jeff!

Chapter One: France, Food, Fat

One day, I stumbled upon a literary term in the passage, “There was a plaster model of the Eiffel Tower in there. It was painted gold. It had a clock in it.

‘There’s a smashin’ thing,’ he said.

And we were flown to a rest camp in France, where we were fed chocolate malted milkshakes and other rich foods until we were all covered with baby fat. Then we were sent home, and I married a pretty girl who was covered with baby fat, too.” (Pg.6-7)

While I was reading the first chapter of Slaughterhouse Five, I skimmed over this passage. I assumed that Vonnegut had no idea what he was writing and it had nothing to do with the plot, but I was mistaken. I read the chapter again. I finally understood the meaning of adding the paragraph. I call this little section in the chapter a “mini” foreshadowing. This section is more like a chain reaction of foreshadowing actions.

            The first foreshadowing action is revealed when the narrator is shown the model of the Eiffel Tower by an idiotic Englishman. Then, the narrator and the rest of the soldiers are taken to a rest camp in FRANCE. Thanks to the wonderful world of Google, I know that the Eiffel Tower is, in fact, located in France. (Duh!) 

            Another foreshadowing activity is quickly discovered. While in France, the soldiers were pampered with chocolate malted milkshakes and other rich foods. Of course, they eventually gained some weight. The soldiers were sent home covered in “baby fat.” The narrator married a girl also covered in some “baby fat.” Obviously, if one eats too much chocolate and food, then they began to gain some weight. Vonnegut describes to the audience that the narrator has some baby fat, and he marries a girl who also has baby fat.  

(I thought the video had a good connection with my blog. Ratatouille film is  set in FRANCE and Linguini is learning to cook RICH FOODS!)

I am ready for summer, not the work!