The 4th Dimension: Vonnegut's Escape

" 'It had to be done,' Rumfoord told Billy, speaking of the destruction of Dresden. 'I know,' said Billy. 'That's war.' 'I know. I'm not complaining.' 'It must have been hell on the ground.' 'It was,' said Billy Pilgrim. 'Pity the men who had to do it.' 'I do.' 'You must have had mixed feelings, there on the ground.' 'It was all right,' said Billy." (Vonnegut 198)
The first chapter of the novel, where the main character is Kurt Vonnegut and not Billy Pilgrim, emphasizes Vonnegut's depression since Dresden. In order to try and deal with it, he goes back to Dresden, and he talks with his friend O'hare, not to mention his exessive drinking. He is very deeply affected by the bombing of Dresden, and cannot really deal with his feelings about it.
The rest of the book portrays a protagonist with no feelings. With so many connections, I came to the conclusion that Billy Pilgrim is a made up person used by Vonnegut to tell his experiences not only of the war but life itself. Throughout the book, however, Billy doesn't really show any true feelings. As I've mentioned in my other blogs, it's as if he's watching his life on a screen, rather than living it. The passage that i mention above is a clear indication of this. Finally Billy has the chance to tell someone how he feels about Dresden, and what he says instead of showing depression and anger is, "I'm not complaining." What? Huh?
What do you mean hes not complaining? Then I realized something that's not only key in understanding this small passage, but the entire novel. By coming unstuck in time, Billy has stopped living. All sorrow, happiness, surprise, anger, and excitement have been completely removed because he has come unstuck in time. By seeing the world as the Tralfamadorians see it, Billy can just use the phrase, "So it goes," for every moment of his life. His entire life has already been written so that all Billy does is constantly time-travel. He doesn't live anymore, and that is why Billy seems indifferent to everything in his life, the war, his marriage, his children, even his own death.
With that in mind, is that what Vonnegut's message is? By appointing this 4th dimensional, Tralfamadorian view of life, he can just shed the blame for Dresden on destiny or fate. It no longer becomes a question of human morality, but simply turns into something that is inevitable. "So it goes," he can say. This way of thinking is Vonnegut's way of dealing with his thoughts and feelings about Dresden.