In the novel, there are many instances where the main character, Billy Pilgrim, travels back and forth in time, as well as to other distant planets. However, the question still remains: Is Billy actually traveling to these arcane places, or is he just the result of a series of unfortunate events?
First of all, we have to accurately assess where the "present" is in this novel. We all know that Slaughter House 5 is based off of the memoirs of author Kurt Vonnegut, but where does that put Billy? Our best bet is to say that the present is as Vonnegut portrays to us, a young Billy fighting in the war. But then another question arrives: how does the whole time traveling thing work? One possible explanation is that when the aliens abducted Billy, they used their advanced technology to imbue Billy with the ability to travel back and forth in time. But then again, the thought of a superior and highly advanced race (like the Protoss in the StarCraft universe) is equally unlikely. So is Billy actually traveling in time, or is he just crazy?
My verdict: Billy is absolutely insane. The episodes of space and time warping can only be attributed to a serious case of mental disease caused by trauma. It all started from his youth, when he was forcibly thrown into a pool to learn how to swim. It all went downhill from there. Between war time trauma and plane crashes, there was no way Billy could have maintained his sanity throughout. His wild fabrications can best be described as an escape from reality. The safest explanation is that Billy is in some military hospital somewhere in a comatose state. Rest in peace, Billy Pilgrim.
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