Tralfamadore como espejo: utopías, distopías y cultura de entretenimiento en Matadero Cinco

Abstract

The present article aims to clarify whether in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five the planet Tralfamadore is constructed as a utopia or a dystopia. Due to this discussion being involved in a broader debate regarding whether the narrator preaches the same message as the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, we analyze firstly the uses of autofiction and satire as a way of creating distance between the narrator and the protagonist. Next, we explore the integration of elements from entertainment culture into the novel and its relationship with utopian impulses, arguing that Tralfamadore is set as a replica of the author’s contemporary American society.