Robotic Humans

Of course we all know how people change when they have been to war. Kurt Vonnegut is arguably “crazy” after returning, but he seems to be developing this “crazy” attitude of his during the war. In the beginning of chapter 8, Vonnegut says that “people are discouraged from being characters” (208). During war, people tend to lose track of time, and of who they really are; soldiers who are in battle day in and day out almost become insensitive to reality. They are men forced to take orders, and if disobeyed, they will most likely be executed. They are men, forced to be robots.
Imagine yourself doing the same thing over and over again with no seeming end to whatever it is that you’re doing. Knowing there is no end; time has no significance to you anymore; so much for hours, days, months, and years. During this time your one objective is to kill any man you see of the enemy. When people are ordered to do the same thing over and over again without having any say in what to do, it becomes a system of action, and this is in my opinion where most people lose their character in the war.
The only people that make a difference are usually the ones who are conscious. Derby in this case seems to be a person who keeps a lot to himself. Being a high school teacher, he needs to be very appropriate at all times and an example for his students, but also can’t express himself. When it’s time to speak up, he does. The only people able to gather strength are the ones who aren’t afraid to be themselves and refuse to be robots.