Synopsis
A book about a POW who survived the bombing of Dresden adjusting back to normal life.
Key Takeaways
Page 2 – “But not many words about Dresden came from my mind then – not enough of them to make a book, anyway. And not many words come now, either, when I have become an old fart with his memories and his Pall Malls, with his sons full grown.”
It’s funny what we think we can write/talk/think about and what we do. Some experiences are just beyond words or beyond the ability express. Its like photos that don’t do the views justice
Page 17 – “There was nothing I could do about it. As an Earthling, I had to believe whatever clocks said – and calendars.”
Time is social construct that we hold ourselves to. How many other social constructs do we hold ourselves to?
Page 17 – “No art is possible without a dance with death”
I thought this was interesting. Food is nicest just before its overdone. How close do we come to death every day?
Page 63 – “Billy licked his lips, thought a while, inquired at last: ‘Why me?’ “That is a very Earthling question to ask, Mr Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber?’….’Well, here we are Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why’
We are slaves to fate, nothing we do is our choice. There isn’t a why, things just because they happen. Why does there need to be why?
Page 70 – “All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment and you will find that we are all, as I’ve said before. Bugs in amber…. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will”
Like the above, what choices are really ours?
Page 106 – “Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class sine, say, Napoleonic times.”
I found this quite insightful, how much do we hate ourselves for not achieving things. Some things are quite hard and we do our best and sometimes it doesn’t go your way.
Page 137 – “It had twenty-dollar bills for leaves. Its flowers were government bonds. Its fruit was diamonds. It attracted human beings who killed each other around the roots and mode very good fertilizer”
Men kill themselves for money. What does this feed? More money. A self-feeding machine. The capitalist system. This is an amazing metaphor. Think of partnerships that go sour.
Page 160 – “Later on in life, the Tralfamadorians would advise Billy to concentrate on the happy moments of his life, and to ignore the unhappy ones – to stare only at pretty things as eternity failed to go by.”
We can con choose what to focus on.
Final Thoughts
The book was okay, it was a strange read. I really like the concept of all things are happening all the time and no one dies. Moments exist forever. The mushroom trip was a glimpse into a similar world. If energy cannot be destroyed, where were we before we were born or where do we go when we die? The book also provides some glimpses into the randomness of life. Somethings things just happen. No reason. I give the book a 7/10.
Stranger in Sydney 