Chapter Two Term: Flashback

The majority of chapter two is written in the form of a flashback.  The chapter begins as Billy Pilgrim is described as a older almost senile man.  He then begins to describe the first time he became "unstuck in time."  He describes first a close encounter to death as a violet light and then pre-birth which are antitheses.  He then describes his first swim at a Y.M.C.A., then a visit to his mother in a nursing home, his son's little league banquet, and finally him cheating on his wife.  Each of these are set in time periods years apart from each other sometimes jumping decades at a time.  Some of these stories are flashbacks, yet some go forward in time.  This style of writing is used to help the reader understand how Billy experiences his own life.  The lack of a set structure to each story helps the reader to sympathize with Billy and feel what he does.