Spiegelman vs. Vonnegut

Spiegelman wrote Maus as a graphic novel, which is the main difference in writing style between Spiegelman and Vonnegut. Additionally, the story line is different for both writers. In Maus, the story line is somewhat linear and can be followed easily, while Slaughterhouse Five is complex and contains stories within the main story, which at times makes it hard to follow. In both novels, I saw similarities between characters.  Vladek is similar to Billy Pilgrim in several ways. For example, both initially seem disinterested in women. Vladek when dating Lucia would try to distance himself from her. He went through the motions of dating, yet he seemed very uninterested. His interaction with women changed when he met Anja. Billy Pilgrim got married to his wife because he thought it was right. Billy Pilgrim also seemed uninterested in his wife. Throughout the book, Billy Pilgrim is seen in a way disconnected from his wife. Like Vladek, Billy Pilgrim would follow the motions a man in love would have followed, he does not complete the actions out of love. Another similarity between the two characters is the fact that they were both soldiers in World War II. Both men received little training and were sent to the battle front. When faced in a combat situation, Vladek did not start shooting instead he hid until another fellow soldier questioned as to why his gun remained unused. Billy Pilgrim’s response, when attacked by the enemy, was to remain in visible sight making him an easy target. It wasn’t until the other soldiers would pull him or yell at him to go towards safety that Billy Pilgrim would respond. So far, from what we have been assigned to read I prefer Spiegelman’s graphic novel. I prefer his novel due to his simplicity. While reading Maus, I did not have to re-read sections to understand the story. Slaughterhouse Five had so much going on that I constantly had to flip through the pages in order to follow along with the story line.