Although Vonnegut presents this theory of time to the reader, he does not endorse it; the concept is only presented in order to prove their absurdity and to offer a rebuttal. In addition to providing discussion fodder, “[the] Tralfamadorian sections of the novel may also serve another function since they provide a form of comic relief from the unbearable tension that builds as Billy approaches the day of the actual fire-bombing”. The Tralfamadorians’ unusual, comedic nature casts doubt on their viewpoint of time; readers question whether they actually exist, or are figments of Billy’s imagination.
Vonnegut’s central theme, that a meaningful life is characterized by free will, is further realized through Billy Pilgrim’s apathy and unresponsiveness; Billy’s lack of action throughout the novel shows that a belief in fatalism leads to a miserable existence devoid of meaning. One of Vonnegut’s dry descriptions presents one of the best glimpses into Billy’s attitude of inaction: “Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the present and the future”. The matter-of-fact tone seems to convey the hopelessness and absurdity of a person without free will, a person who is forever stuck in the fires of Dresden. The bleakness of the description brings awareness to Vonnegut’s argument that what Billy experiences is not life, for life requires constant changes, decisions, and adaptations. Vanderwerken expounds on this idea by arguing, “In short, Billy lacks the ‘wisdom’ to see that Dresden is of the past and cannot be changed, but that the bombing of North Vietnam lies in the present and can be changed. However, to protest the bombing requires moral ‘courage,’ a quality obviated by his Tralfamadorian education.” By attacking Billy’s character, Vonnegut advances the idea that, although the past is permanent, the future is not. Even though Billy’s war experiences cannot be undone, he, along with the rest of humanity, has the power to ensure that the Earth does not become consumed in wars (such as the Vietnam War).
Looking beyond the superficial existence of Slaughterhouse-Five as a work of pure fiction, it is readily apparent that the novel also serves as a quasi-memoir for Vonnegut himself. To fully understand the novel, a thorough examination of Vonnegut-as-character must be attempted. Much as the character Billy invents Tralfamadore in order to hide his pain, Vonnegut uses the novel Slaughterhouse-Five to shield himself from his own suffering. In effect, Billy Pilgrim is the proxy of Vonnegut, the author, himself. Through Vonnegut’s psychological separation of himself via a proxy, the reader is made to understand that the savage events the author has seen are, still to this day, mentally traumatizing. Although the main story is told through the character of Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut acknowledges, “All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty true”. Vonnegut tacitly acknowledges that the horrors that Billy Pilgrim sees are the same atrocities that Vonnegut has witnessed. 