Billy should have gotten some funnier bumper stickers

Blake Ogden

When Vonnegut describes the bumper stickers on Billy Pilgrim’s car he gives a very interesting insight to the nature of Billy. The book writes “There was a third. “Impeach Earl Warren” it said. The stickers about the police and Earl Warren were gifts from Billy’s father in law, a member of the John Birch Society.” Earl Warren was a chief justice that worked on many ground-breaking cases such as school integration, civil rights cases, separation of church and state, and arrest procedures. While he was very popular with liberals, he was very disrespected by conservatives which explains why his father in law, a member of the John Birch Society, a largely conservative organization, would give him a bumper sticker such as this. While he does have this bumper sticker, I do not believe that Billy actually feels this way. A few pages later in the story it states “Among the things Billy could not change were the past, the present, and the future.” If Billy believes this quote it makes little sense as to why he would be in protest of something. The book also goes on to tell the story of Billy going to a Lions Club meeting where a marine in favor of more bombing in Vietnam is speaking. However, “Billy was not moved to protest the bombing of North Vietnam, did not shudder about the hideous things he himself had seen bombing do. He was simply having lunch with the Lions Club…” These quotes give a very interesting look on Billy and his bumper stickers. I believe that Billy is neither for the impeachment of Warren nor against it. He simply has the sticker because his father in law gave it to him. Several quotes show his impartiality, “Billy Pilgrim tried hard to care” or “He did the simplest thing. He drove on.” It shows that Billy simply has an existence but isn’t really living. The two bumper stickers he has do present an interesting contrast. One says “Support your police department” while the other says “Impeach Earl Warren.” One is in support of the government while the other is in protest of it. But, Billy doesn’t really care that he contrasts himself. His father in law gave them to him and he acted as he should and put them on his car. He believes that there is nothing we can do to change things so why bother. He begins to have a Tralfamadorian outlook on life. Time is already set and nothing we do can change it. He believes that everything is stuck the way it is so why even care.