Escapism In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five

Kurt Vonnegut(1922-2007)is one of the most prolific and popular American writers after World War ?.Slaughterhouse-Five(1969)is the most famous novel written by Vonnegut,which is widely regarded as a representative novel of black humor and also a postmodern masterpiece.On the basis of Sartre's existentialism theory and Fromm's theory of escaping from freedom,this thesis makes an in-depth analysis of the methods and essence of character's escaping performances.This thesis is divided into four chapters.The first chapter analyzes the protagonist Billy's escaping from "the other".According to Sartre,once the relationship with others is abnormal,then the other is "hell".The Germans,the comrades and even family members are all Billy's hell.Billy is unwilling to face up to the relations but his escaping can not change his situations.Chapter Two analyzes Billy's escaping from truth.Billy imagines himself being captured to another planet and refuses to accept the truth of his real life.His behavior is a typical case of Sartre's concept of "bad faith"(self-deception).Chapter Three probes into the manifestation of characters' escape from freedom.According to Fromm,escape from freedom dues to loneliness and helplessness deep inside one's heart.Chapter Four illustrates Vonnegut's ideas towards the character's escape phenomena—There is no place to escape to.Vonnegut bears the responsibility to advocates courage of facing the absurd world.