Literary Devices
What phrase is repeated after every death in Slaughterhouse-Five?
"So it goes."
What does Billy Pilgrim symbolize in Slaughterhouse-Five?
How is time presented in Slaughterhouse-Five?
Out of order and fragmented.
What effect does "So it goes" create when used repeatedly?
It makes death feel normal and shows emotional detachment.
What does Judge Holden symbolize in Blood Meridian?
Power, control, and violence.
What does Billy's experience with time show about trauma?
Trauma disrupts how reality is understood.
What literary idea is show when Billy Pilgrim becomes "unstuck in time"?
Fragmentation of time and reality.
What does the phrase "War is god" symbolize?
That violence replaces morality.
How is the structure of Blood Meridian described?
Chaotic, with no clear progression.
What does the lack of emotional reaction to death show about war?
That war creates emotional numbness and confusion.
What does emotional detachment in Slaughterhouse_Five symbolize?
The inability to process trauma.
What does McCarthy's structure suggest about history?
That it is chaotic and uncontrollable.
What literary techniques do both authors use to show reality is unstable?
Imagery, symbolism, irony, diction, and structure.
What shared symbolic idea exists in both novels?
Truth and reality are unstable and difficult to understand.
What do both authors reject through their structure?
Clear, traditional storytelling with stable meaning.