Chapter 5: Internal Conflict

      

       Throughout Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy struggles with the internal conflict of if he considers himself insane or not. This conflict is shown in the passage, "He [Billy] knew he was going crazy when he heard himself proposing marriage to her [Valencia], when he begged her to take the diamond ring and be his companion for life" (Vonnegut 107). Billy, much to his disappointment, is starting to believe that he is going insane because of the types of actions and thoughts he has become accustomed to.

       I, for reasonable examples, have reason to believe Billy is not completely insane. Billy graduated from Optometry school as the third best in his class of forty-seven, which shows that he is a sophisticated man. Optometry is a practice that an everyday Joe cannot be an expert in. This being the case, Billy has become wealthy by the means of his high-class Optometry office. This has to show that Billy has not completely lost his mind, yet.

       Even though there are some reasons to believe Billy is not insane, there are numerous reasons to believe that he is. First of all, he is continuously time traveling through events in his life, which sounds extremely insane. Second, many soldiers came back showing signs of being insane after events they experienced in World War Two. Billy could be a prime example of this by witnessing and surviving the bombing of Dresden. Lastly, Billy does not even realize that the room is cold, even when the furnace has gone out.

       So the question is, has Billy become insane? At the beginning of the novel, there was not much reason to believe that Billy is insane, but by reading further, I am starting to believe that he is. By the actions and the characteristics that he demonstrates, Billy is starting to make me a believer in him being insane. Well, I guess I will have to continue reading and find out.