Today in class, it was pointed out that the phrase “So it goes” was repeated in the book over 100 times. I would like to take some time in this blogpost to expand on these very small three words but their counter-oppositely major impact on the book as a whole. “So it goes” is a line that we come across on nearly every page, and follows all accounts of death in the Slaughterhouse-Five. As Billy has expanded both his emotional and psychological way of thinking, he has most certainly conquered death, the biggest fear of human life. After viewing his death over and over again, as well as various parts of his life, he is a completely different human being, if even human. His way of thinking has completely changed, and he has started seeing things in very different ways than others. When a couple of his “friends” (he doesn’t really have any friends, at least nobody that he really loves, and even if he does, he doesn’t show it) are shot and killed he thinks “Now they were dying in the snow, feeling nothing, turning the snow to the color of raspberry sherbet. So it goes” (27).
“It” is the heart of this statement, referring to life: Life goes on, many roadblocks come and go on the path of life, but it goes on. This statement helps us show, according to Billy, the unpredictability of war, the inevitability, and its delusions. At the same page he starts with “Three inoffensive bangs,” which means that the Germans are simply doing their jobs-- they are not bad people, they are not terrorists, they are not unrighteous, but rather, they are doing what they have to do. This kind of things happen in war and you can’t get angry at these things. “So it goes”. These things happen because they have to happen. 
Kathryn said something to this extent in class, but I think it bears repeating: there's no reason "so it goes" has to be dismissive of death. I mean, it is a conscious effort by Vonnegut/Pilgrim/whoever to put these words out every time something or somebody dies. It's a sort of death ritual; when you hear about death, the response is a mournful, thoughtful response. How is "so it goes" very different from, say, "I'm sorry" or "that's too bad" or something like that?
ReplyDeleteIn addition, to bring up what Dezy pointed out in class, I feel like the fact that "so it goes" appears so many times in the book means that it would lose some of its power if it wasn't present at every single death. It would be almost more distracting to see that a horse (or a dog, or something) died without this refrain sounding in response. It isn't a very good ritual if you don't stick to it every time!
. . . even if we stick to it for a glass of champagne, or water!
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