So it....goes?

1:07:00

"People should be changed by world wars. Otherwise, what are world wars for?"

Though Campbell is only saying this to assure "Helga" he has not changed in an unexpected or negative way, he is stating a point emphasized in Slaughterhouse-Five as well. During the war, Campbell was an anti-Semitic Nazi. However, only after fleeing Germany and letting go of his identity, he realizes his actions during the war were wrong and unwarranted. Of course, he only comes to this revelation after the damage has been done and he is suffering--after the war is over. So, for him the war is never truly over or in the past. He is constantly plagued by what he did, and he will never be able to escape it. Vonnegut might have been trying to say that wars are meant to change people forever; they're meant to essentially never just be history for those involved. In Slaughterhouse-five, the Tralfamadorians have wars all the time, but they choose to focus on the good in their lives, as if the bad never happened. However, humans cannot do that because wars are crucial moments in determining who they really are. The choices Campbell made and the consequences he had to live with changed him and there was no turning back. How could someone just say "so it goes" and move on, especially when they are literally not the same person anymore?

Q: Does Vonnegut's "so it goes" attitude apply to Mother Night? Didn't Campbell surrender & then commit suicide because he could not move on?

-Madhu Singh