Hunter Warren

When Montana Wildhack asks Billy to tell her a story, why does he launch into a war story, do you think? Why do we not get her reaction to the story?

“‘Tell me a story,’ Montana Wildhack said to Billy Pilgrim in the Tralfamadorian zoo one time.” (228) If anyone that has read an ounce of this book, they would automatically assume that Pilgrim will whip out ideas and thoughts pertaining to the bombing on Dresden. Because the war has mentally imprinted images, thoughts, and sounds into Billy’s head, he is unable to process and convey information to himself and others without relating to his past war experiences. It is very obvious that Pilgrim suffers with a case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Although it may not seem to affect him so much because he is used to it, I feel bad for the people around him that have to deal with his PTSD such as Wildhack. In this case, Wildhack is empty of sweets that a normal pregnant woman may want to have, so she asks Billy to tell her a story. Due to the fact that Billy is still caught up in his previous life, Wildhack is still free of what she wants to hear. She wants to hear a good story to get her mind off of the things that she wants. Because she is deprived of food and a good story, I feel as though Wildhack refrains from commenting on what Pilgrim has to say because she honestly has no emotions. Just as with anyone else, if you are deprived of absolutely everything you want, you may feel as though you have no emotions, therefore you may just want to go on with your day in silence just as Wildhack did in this portion of the book.