Chapter 4: Free Will

“All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is” (Vonnegut 86)



            Billy’s thought of “free will” seems to be challenged by the Tralfamadorians when the topic of “bugs in amber” becomes the center of their conversation. The logic behind the Tralfamodorian view of time seems to be completely different from the general way of which humans view time. The Tralfamadorian’s concept of time emphasizes the role of fate in shaping the existence and it also completely rejects free will. When Billy is kidnapped, he understands that all people and things are trapped in life’s collection of moments like “bugs trapped in amber.” Billy is locked into his fate; any resistance to this notion would be futile. As humans, we view time as a sort of sequence of events that occur in succession with events that have happened in the past, events going on in the present, and events yet to come in the future. However, Tralfamadorians do not share this theory due to their ability to see in four dimensions and piety the human for only seeing in the third dimension. When Billy ask the question, “Why me?” this reveals the limits of the humans outlook on time and fate. The Tralfamadorians would have never thought of asking such a question, since they already know that the structure of time is beyond anyone’s control.

            An example of Billy losing his ability of “free will” would be the swim or sink experience he had with his father. When Billy was younger, his father threw him in a pool trying to teach Billy how to swim. However, Billy chose the bottom of the pool and sinking over swimming, but against Billy’s free will, his father grabs him and throws him out of the pool. I feel that Vonnegut is questioning the reader with such things as: Does the past and the present really affect our future? Do our choices really even matter the outcome of our lives?