Felix Vonnegut?

This is not the first time I have read this novel. However, after only a few classes of “Truth, Lies and Literature”, I have begun to read more critically. I wondered if, like in the episode of “Supernatural”, there could be hints of a metanarrator. Professor Schwartz offered the definition of “metatextual” as “text that can talk to and about itself, within being in itself”. So the idea of a metanarrator would evoke instances of Kurt Vonnegut expressing himself through his characters. This prompted me to do a bit of research. On biography.com I learned that Vonnegut served in World War II, where he was captured to become a prisoner of war. In one of his novels, Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut writes the protagonist who was a prisoner of war, and had a story similar to his own. I also learned that Vonnegut struggled with depression to the extent of suicidal attempts, probably derived from post-traumatic stress disorder prompted by the war.

            

Vonnegut could have placed himself as Felix Hoenikker, the creator of the atom bomb. This character shares numerous similarities with Vonnegut. They both “served” in the war. Although the biography did not say much about Vonnegut’s personal life, besides that he married his high school sweetheart and had three children after the war, I am assuming he was slightly detached from society. This suggestion can be inferred from his suicidal attempts and depression. Hoenikker was a man who was completely detached from society, he did not even seem to care when his wife died. One thing Felix and Kurt share are their incredible brains. Vonnegut is a literary genius, and Hoenikker is a scientific genius. Vonnegut writes with such a unique style that he is either ostracized or incredible appreciated. This is similar to the creation of the atom bomb, in Cat’s Cradle, by Felix Hoenikker. Some people think that dropping the atom bomb was the worst decision the United States has ever made while others respect its use, citing that many more lives would have been lost without using it to abruptly end the war.

            

This analysis of author insertion into a character, metenarrator, is very general, but since this is merely a journal entry. I decided to save my research for the paper! The idea of, as an author, putting yourself, or aspects of yourself, into certain characters is no something I have previously thought of. I imagine every author does it. However, it is very hard to measure the extent to which each author does this without doing some preliminary research about the author.