The Narrative Function of Kilgore Trout and His Fictional Works in Slaughterhouse-Five

Abstract

This paper analyzes Vonnegut's use of historical and imaginary sources in Slaughter house-Five, paying particular attention to the structural role played by Kilgore Trout—Vonnegut's literary alter ego—and his six science-fiction stories. Trout's intratextual fiction, it is argued here, enlarges the scope of the novel, underlines a series of central themes, criticizes certain moral valúes, and introduces a comic dimensión that counterbalances the seriousness of the war material.