Kurt Vonnegut Theme

Kurt Vonnegut is one of the most famous author’s in literature. In “The Manned Missiles,” he composed story in letter format, with messages between two fathers. These fathers had children who were interested in the aeronautical sciences. Both of the children were chosen to fly in space. However, there was a fatal incident where both of them died by the collision of their rockets. The fathers sympathize with each other for their losses through letters. Through these letters we can comprehend a larger image: war divides people, and we need to stand up together. Many people debate the significance of war and in the end, we are left with a mass of dead bodies and families grieving over the loss of soldiers. In this story, the underlying theme is about nuclear and cosmic proliferation. The Cold War between Russia and the United States was a major event in this time period. Although these letters and incidents were fictional, we can see an example of one of the tragedy’s a family may face. Vonnegut believes that we are all insane in our nature, our
These stories help us understand the true meaning behind these letters. For example, the goldfish story that is told by Mr. Ashland. Even though it seems foolish to tell such a story, it helps give the reader a more thorough understanding of who Bud is. The story makes him real, almost touchable, as we can see the way he thinks and his humor. “There was one goldfish for each twin…they were exactly alike…[and] one mourning Bud got up early, and there was one goldfish floating on the top of the water dead. So Bud went and woke up Charlene, and he said, “Hey, Charlene—your goldfish just died.” (272) This passage is also ironic, as Bud and Charlene were twins and so were the fish. It is also ironic how one of the fish dies at a young age, as Bud also dies at a youthful time. “Charlene is as close as you can get to Bud.”