Entry #3: A Refrain

CHAPTER 2:

          In chapter 2 Vonnegut introduces a character by the name of Billy Pilgrim.  Billy claims to have been abducted by aliens called, Tralfamadorians.  These aliens can see in four dimensions and teach Billy that a person never really dies for the past, present, and future all co-exist simultaneously.  It is this teaching that leads Billy to view tragedies with such a blasé attitude.  As Billy tells his daughter, "When I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is 'So it goes.'"

A Tralfamadorian

    Vonnegut uses the refrain, "So it goes" throughout the entirety of the novel.  These three words appear after Vonnegut describes something of a tragic nature.  The refrain symbolizes that humans can do nothing to control the events around them and that they should not spend time mourning these events.  Billy begins writing to the News Leader, which published his letters.  Billy believes that he is revealing a truth to society that will save them from the pain of suffering.