Imagery By: Alex Kamareddine

In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses various types of imagery to connect

the various parts of the novel as well as to underscore the theme. 

Color imagery is an important form of imagery used. The use of the colors “blue and 

ivory” to describe his own feet as well as those of corpses serves to show how close to 

death Pilgrim has come. How close death always is. The colors orange and black used

to describe both the banners on the POW trains, a tragic symbol and the tents at 

Pilgrim’s daughter’s wedding, a festive symbol, demonstrates how everything is

connected : past and present, positive and negative ...all is the same in the continuum

of time. The color violet is used to represent death and red, the time before birth.

Sounds accompany these colors. A hum with the violet light and a bubbling sound 

with the red.the violet hum places the reader in a relaxed state while the red bubbling 

suggests something is about to happen. The color green on the coffin shaped wagon 

is ironic as the color green signifies life while a coffin symbolizes death.

Olfactory imagery suggested by the recurring reference to the odor of “mustard gas

and roses”, two very different smells signifying life and death appear to show how

connected these two themes are within the novel. Pilgrim mentions it to describe his

drunken breath, in reference to his dog and to describe the smell of the Dresden 

corpses.

The pathetic image Pilgrim presents, that of “ a filthy flamingo” in his ill- fitting uniform

                                                                                                  

symbolizes how ill-equipped he is to handle his war experience. Real animals

and not just human flamingoes provide further imagery. The German Shepherd

whose ferocious bark seemed so threatening from afar turns out to be just a poor 

bitch named “Princess” unused to war ...”She was shivering. Her tail was between her 

legs.”(P.52) This imagery serves to tell the reader that things are not always what they 

seem. The recurring image of a bird seemingly asking the question...”Po-tee-weet?”

underscores the senselessness of life. There is no answer to the question, if indeed

it even is a question. The pathetic image of the horses carrying the green coffin shaped

wagon serves to show the dull suffering of these poor creatures who do not understand

what is going on, much like the men involved.