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Kurt Vonnegut and his literary works represent the ideas of the American dream because at the start of his writing career, his elements of science fiction and war were not widely accepted and thought of as serious, and it took him about a decade of hard work for his writing to be published and gain widespread attention.

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Kurt Vonnegut frequently used elements of science fiction in his writing however that doesn’t mean they were widely rejoiced. It would take almost a decade for his works to be recognized by American readers. His most popular stories Cat’s Cradle (1963) and Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) came out over ten years after the release of his first novel.  Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, a Gale in Context web page, states, “His frequent use of elements of fantasy resulted in his classification as a writer of science fiction, a genre not widely accepted as "serious literature," and his work did not attract significant attraction or critical interest until the mid-1960s.” During this time, he also wrote multiple other stories showing that he had to work hard to achieve the American Dream.

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Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - Document - Gale In Context: High School

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Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007) endures as a major voice in American literature, applauded for his pungent satirical depictions of modern society. Emphasizing the comic absurdity of the human condition, his works frequently depict characters who search for meaning and order in an inherently meaningless and disorderly universe.

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On Vonnegut’s journey to the American Dream, he would first have to get published. However, as previously mentioned his works were not taken seriously and were not seen as popular. This means that Vonnegut would have to work hard to get his literature published. One Gale EBook article titled, Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. 1922, Jr, says, “Since his fiction before 1960 typically used futuristic settings to critique American society, mainstream publishers shunned his work as science fiction, leading him to publish it in science-fiction magazines and paperbacks—both the kiss of death during the 1950s as far as critics were concerned.” It would take quite some time for his works to be published not in magazines or on paperbacks. Writings in these were taken very seriously as readers would look at them once and get rid of them, but during that time he would work hard writing other stories to hopefully be published on a more serious script.

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Born: November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Died: April 11, 2007 in New York, New York, United States Other Names: Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., entered the 1960s regarded as a promising but obscure science-fiction writer and left it as one of the most respected and popular figures of American literature.

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With science fiction writing not bringing success, Vonnegut decided to take his talents to writing using elements of war. Having served in WWII, Vonnegut saw the horrors of war first hand as he was held as a prisoner of war in Dresden during the firebombing of the city. Even with a change of writing, he still had to work hard to complete his American Dream. His most popular book to date, Slaughterhouse-Five, being written over a decade after he began writing was his seventh novel. This means that he had written six whole stories before finally getting the attention he deserved. Another Gale EBooks web page even mentioned, “The 1969 novel drew attention as the country became increasingly disillusioned with the Vietnam War, and Kurt Vonnegut suddenly became a well-known author with his seventh novel. It took Vonnegut twenty years to write this novel. He realized that a traditional narrative structure would not work to tell the story of destruction and modern war.” It would take a long time for his works to be recognized but in the meanwhile, Vonnegut would work hard writing other stories and literary works. Slaughterhouse-Five taking twenty years to write also shows his dedication to achieving the American Dream. This is yet another example of how his hard work helped him to his goal.

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Explore this database of encyclopedias and reference sources within the Gale eBooks platform. For multidisciplinary research. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.