Full Answer
What does so it goes by Kurt Vonnegut mean?
"So it goes" is Vonnegut's cue that another life has passed, or is passing. It is part of Vonnegut's genius that he is able to both poke fun at our mortality (I cannot recall how many times "so it goes" is used, but it's so frequent that it becomes darkly funny) but also to remind us of, sadly, of what "blips" we all are on this planet.
What is it like to read Vonnegut?
To read Vonnegut is to know that he was repeatedly drawn to the investigation of free will, of what it might be and how it might or might not function, and that he came at the subject from many different angles. Many of his ruminations were presented in the form of works by his fictional alter ego, Kilgore Trout.
Why does Vonnegut repeat the phrase'and so it goes'?
"And so it goes" is a refrain that is repeated after deaths in Vonnegut's book. And on a first reading may seem to be a part of an argument that there is nothing that anyone can do to stop death or war.
Is Vonnegut a tragedy?
It sees war as a tragedy so great that perhaps only the mask of comedy allows one to look it in the eye. Vonnegut is a sad-faced comedian. If Heller was Charlie Chaplin, then Vonnegut was Buster Keaton. His predominant tone of voice is melancholy, the tone of voice of a man who has been present for a great horror and lived to tell the tale.
What did Vonnegut mean by so it goes?
Netti Vonnegut's parents were German. Translated literally into German, "So it goes" is "So geht's" - and that is a very, very, common phrase to comment fatalistically on things one can't change or can't prevent to happen. "That's life".
What does the phrase so it goes mean in slaughterhouse 5?
But that is not its purpose in “Slaughterhouse-Five.” “So it goes” is not a way of accepting life but, rather, of facing death. It occurs in the text almost every single time someone dies, and only when death is evoked.
What does the phrase and so it goes mean?
Filters. An expression of acceptance of misfortune in life; that's life ; such is life. phrase.
What is the significance of Billy saying so it goes?
Billy appreciates the simplicity of the Tralfamadorian response to death, and every time he encounters a dead person, he “simply shrug[s]” and says “so it goes.” The repetition of this phrase also illustrates how war desensitizes people to death, since with each passive mention of “so it goes,” the narrator is subtly ...
What is the meaning of so it is?
DEFINITIONS1. used for agreeing with what someone has said and for showing that you are a little surprised by it. 'Look at the picture again – isn't that your Uncle Toby? ' 'So it is! '
What is the quote so it goes from?
'So it goes" is a quote from one of my favourite books, Slaughter House Five, by Kurt Vonnegut.
How many times does it say so it goes in Slaughterhouse-Five?
The phrase appears 106 times.
What is Vonnegut trying to say in Slaughterhouse-Five?
The most significant theme in Slaughterhouse-Five concerns the dichotomy of predestination and free will. Over and over again, Vonnegut proclaims that there is no such thing as free will. Humankind is the slave of predestination, meaning that all human actions are prescribed before they occur.
How do you use so it goes?
Said of unhappy or unfortunate outcomes or turns of events. A: "I was so sorry to hear that you and Mark split up." B: "It's been really hard, but so it goes, I guess." A: "I can't believe they slashed our budget!" B: "Yeah, it sucks. Oh well, so it goes—we'll just have to stretch what we have as thin as we can."
What is Vonnegut's message about war?
Throughout the novel, Vonnegut narrates that war is bloody awful, which leads to the triumph of death and violence. Many characters die during the war, and the phrase, “so it goes” reflects that it is something normal. Vonnegut tries to give this message that we cannot control our lives, especially death.
What is openness in Vonnegut?
That openness is the space in which the reader is allowed to make up his or her own mind. To read Vonnegut is to know that he was repeatedly drawn to the investigation of free will, of what it might be and how it might or might not function, and that he came at the subject from many different angles.
What is the meaning of "So it goes"?
Life rarely turns out in the way the living hope for, and “So it goes” has become one of the ways in which we verbally shrug our shoulders and accept what life gives us. But that is not its purpose in “Slaughterhouse-Five.” “So it goes” is not a way of accepting life but, rather, of facing death.
What is the story of the Kilgore Trout?
In Vonnegut’s novel “ Breakfast of Champions ,” we learn about another Kilgore Trout story, “Now It Can Be Told,” written in the form of a letter from the Creator of the Universe addressed to the reader of the story. The Creator explains that the whole of life itself has been a long experiment.