Victim And Savior Of The World-Characteristics Of Anti-hero Of Billy Pilgrim In Slaughterhouse-five

Billy Pilgrim, the main character in Kurt Vonnegut’s famous novelSlaughterhouse-Five, has long been labeled as an anti-hero. However, there are fewsystematic studies of the characteristics of anti-hero reflected in Billy Pilgrim and thegood qualities of Billy Pilgrim as anti-hero have long been neglected.This thesis is devoted to the illustration of the characteristics of anti-hero basedon an analysis of Billy Pilgrim who is classified as the flawed everyman underanti-hero with the purpose of highlighting both his typical anti-heroic and partialheroic traits. The flawed everyman is an ordinary person who displays good heart andextraordinary behavior when forced into unusual situations. More often than not, theextraordinary behavior smacks of heroic qualities, which bears testimony to theblurred line between hero and anti-hero.Billy’s role in the family and the war reflects his weaknesses, lack of courageand grace and disillusionment from the war, typical of an anti-hero. But his attempt toprescribe corrective lenses for those distorted Earthling souls demonstrates hisseemingly heroic qualities. Therefore, he is both the victim and the savior of theworld.Based on close reading and the use of mainly the theory of anti-hero coupledwith the three archetypes of hero, this thesis will not only lay bare the evil andbrutality of the war, but give a clue to Vonnegut’s perception of anti-hero and hisportrait of anti-hero as a round character in addition to giving a new insight to theblurred boundary between hero and anti-hero.