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Billy Pilgrim is Born
Billy Pilgrim is born in Ilium, New York -
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Slaughterhouse 5
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Billy First Comes Unstuck in Time
Billy is in World War 2 behind enemy lines when he first becomes unstuck in time. He swings through the arc of life, passing into death, to pre-birth, then to when his father threw him into a pool and he was drowning, and to when he visited his mother in a nursing home in 1965. This is the first time we see Billy effected by PTSD and reliving past events of his. We see that there is something clearly wrong with Billy and that his mind is very jumbled and aloof from reality. -
Billy is Behind Enemy Lines and Captured
While at the Battle of the Bulge, Billy finds himself behind enemy lines in Luxembourg and finds two scouts and Roland Weary to get back to safety with. Billy often asked the men to leave him behind and he is very detached from reality. He ends up getting caught by the Germans after the scouts left them behind as Weary was beating him up. Billy's detachment from reality led to their capture and him being beaten up by Weary begins to show how Billy's innocent, aloof mind harms him in the war. -
Billy is sent to a POW Camp in Germany
Billy and other POW's are marched to trains in Germany. They take them to a German POW camp, are in horrid condition and move slowly. The men went to the bathroom in the train cart, were locked inside for days, and didn't have much heat or room. A homeless man died in Billy's cart and Weary died in the one next to his. Billy was told by other POW's that he yells and moves in his sleep. We see that Billy's 'time travel' is really based in physical reality and the deaths of people Billy knew. -
Billy is Sent to Dresden from the German POW Camp
At Billy's brief stay at the German POW camp he and the other POW's are fed by the English, showered with cold water, and Billy ends up sick in the hospital. The POW's are then quickly moved back on trains and sent to Dresden. They marched through the lively and populated city to their new 'POW camp' called Slaughterhouse 5. Dresden was one of the few cities left that wasn't bombed and was a very booming city, making it an unlikely candidate to be bombed after going so long in the war unharmed. -
Dresden is Bombed
Dresden's bombing was unexpected. The POW's and officers went to the basement of the Slaughterhouse during the bombing and were very fortunate to live. Most of the residents died, the city became an inferno, and the next day Billy said Dresden looked like the moon. Billy and KV were brought to an inn by the officers after the bombing. They were then ordered to dig and search for dead bodies. The death and destruction surrounding Billy certainly contribute greatly to Billy's trauma and PTSD. -
Billy is Honorably Discharged from Army
The war ended and Billy was arrested by Russian troops, sent home on a ship called Lucretia A Mott, and honorably discharged from the army. Billy never really did much in the war, and never even had a gun until after the bombing. It is a wonder how he even managed to live as long as he did. He was so detached, aloof, but he was also so innocent. He never really fought, he just lived. What he saw in the war, though, would scar him for life and lead him to wild coping methods- "Tralfamadore." -
Billy Commits Himself to a Ward for Nonviolent Mental Patients in a Veterans’ Hospital near Lake Placid, NY.
Billy committed himself in the middle of his final year at Ilium School of Optometry. He was introduced to science fiction books written by Kilgore Trout because of another man, Rosewater, who was also in his room. They both found life meaningless, partly because of what they had seen in war. The books helped them get through and understand their situations/PTSD. When his mother visits him, Billy keeps head under the covers and doesn’t talk to her because he feels embarrassed and ungrateful. -
Billy Meets Kilgore Trout in Ilium
Billy met Kilgore Trout in an alley after Kilgore talked to his newspaper deliverers. Kilgore was surprised to have someone know who he was. He never had met one of his fans. Billy told Kilgore about Rosewater, his fan from the veterans hospital, and Kilgore said he thought he was crazy. Billy invited Trout to his 18th Wedding Anniversary party. Billy met the man whose stories helped him through his PTSD and at the party, Kilgore helped Billy unlock his past traumatic memories. -
Billy Kidnapped for First Time by Tralfamadorians
Billy was kidnapped with a flying saucer by the Tralfamadorians. He knew it was going to happen and watched a war movie backward before it. The Tralfamadorians talked to him telepathically that they didn't believe in free will and believed that everything that happens already happened, is happening, and will happen and that they go only to the good times to live. These beliefs end up helping Billy cope with his PTSD by explaining away the traumatic things that occurred in the war. -
Plane Crash
Billy is in a plane crash full of optometrists for a conference. All the other passengers die but Billy. Billy's wife, Valencia, drives distressed to go see him and gets into an accident. She gets carbon monoxide poisoning after and dies. Robert, Billy's son, comes home from Vietnam to see him. Billy comes back from unconsciousness but doesn't speak for many days, even missing his wife's funeral when he was aware and knew she had died. He was very detached from reality from all of his trauma. -
Billy Writes Letters to Newspapers and Goes on Talk Shows to Talk about his Experience with Tralfamadorians
Billy went to NYC and went on a radio station to talk about the Tralfamadorians. He wrote and sent letters to his local newspapers about them. Billy's daughter, Barbara, chided him about what she thought were ridiculous articles he sent and believed he was crazy. Barbara told him to stop what he was doing because he was embarrassing. but Billy truly believed what he was saying. Billy was detached from reality and was suffering very much from his PTSD, making him have these delusions. -
Billy Pilgrim's Death
Billy gave a speech in Chicago about flying saucers and predicts his death by telling the audience a man who wants revenge on him lived near there. He is killed by Lazarro, directly or indirectly is not revealed. He is shot with a high powered laser gun from the press box where he was speaking. Whether this actually happened, well, it didn't. This event is a product of his delusion and belief that this is how he will die, but as a reader, we never really know how and when he died.
