Slaughterhouse Five Psychological Analysis

When reading the book Slaughterhouse Five it’s easy to assume that Billy Pilgrim had become unstuck in time; when in reality, and by observing from a reader’s perspective it’s easy to see that Billy’s state of mind has fallen victim to horrible, violent scenery of warfare. His altered state of mind is unfortunately common among soldiers of war who have witnessed horrific events, such as the bombing of Dresden that lead to Billy’s acquiring of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A disorder that bears heavily among soldiers of all time periods and create internal havoc even in safe circumstances. Post-Tramutic Stress Disorder is the attributing factor to Billy’s development of time “unstuckness”.By relying on escapism, Billy avoids his daunting
past and with the comfort of his created the planet of Tralfamadore and the Tralfamadorians, Billy copes with PTSD.
Using escapism due PTSD started for Billy after the second World War when his conditions of PTSD became evident in his transition back to civilian life. Though often time’s the condition was referred to as being shell-shocked or unstuck in time, PTSD had not officially diagnosed until the 1980s,though it’s mental records have been apparent since the beginning of modernized warfare. Defined officially: “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or