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Nadya asked this question about Slaughterhouse-Five:
What does "So it goes" mean? The narrator seems to say that every time someone dies, so I was wondering what it meant.
MAUREEN N This phrase is a constant throughout the book. It caught my attention as I was reading, and I realized Vonnegut uses it when the situation is so hopel…moreThis phrase is a constant throughout the book. It caught my attention as I was reading, and I realized Vonnegut uses it when the situation is so hopeless or at the point of death. At first, I thought it was just his style of talking or writing in his nonchalant way, but the fact that it appears in very similar scenarios made it no coincidence. What comes in my mind when I read, “so it goes” is – "whatever, life moves on regardless." It makes me think of a person who has seen life, the worst of the worst and has no will to live, just like Billy Pilgrim. “So it goes”, - like this is not a big deal, death is not a big deal, I have seen death at war and this is nothing kind of vibe. “So it goes”, feels like it is sort of equalizing death, or gives death zero magnitude. It also has some sort of irony. Vonnegut is describing death, which normally, we expect a person to show some sympathy or some feelings in such times of tragedy, but typical Vonnegut brushes off the idea of death/tragedy with, “whatever man, that’s life, beat it” – or “So it goes.” (less)
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Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
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