'We Are What We Pretend to Be': Existential Angst in Vonnegut’s Mother Night
Date
2009-04
Authors
Tally, Robert T., Jr.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Central Piedmont Community College
Abstract
The moral of Vonnegut’s third novel, stated in its opening pages, is “We are what we pretend to be.” Vonnegut’s most directly existentialist novel, Mother Night introduces the related themes of alienation, identity, and authenticity in order to carefully analyze the delusions and self-delusions of a man who believes himself to be good while involved in the most hideous of crimes. Vonnegut’s critique of identity thus undergirds his exploration of morality. In this essay, Tally reads Vonnegut's novel in relation to its dramatization of existential angst and the crisis of authenticity.
Description
Keywords
existentialism, Vonnegut, philosophy, American literature, absurd, authenticity, anxiety, English
Citation
Tally, R. T. (2009). 'We are what we pretend to be': Existential Angst in Vonnegut’s Mother Night. Teaching American Literature: A Journal of Theory and Practice, 2(4), pp. 94-115.