Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

In Fates Worse Than Death, humorist Kurt Vonnegut examines the blindness of the American people to the hypocrisy of the Reagan Administration, bringing the Earth close to the point of extinction. A collage of articles, speeches and biographical interconnections move the analysis forward with examinations of history, literature, psychology and art.

This sequel to Palm Sunday (1980) consists of Vonnegut essays and speeches linked by breezy autobiographical commentary and comments on a life that resembles a Dr. Seuss creature. At Cornell in 1940, Hugh Troy' tales of practical jokes inspire Vonnegut to play them, including appearing at an ROTC inspection wearing every sort of medal he can find (swimming, scouting, Sunday school attendance, etc.). The general notes his name, and Vonnegut never rises above Private First Class (PFC) in three years as a soldier. When the war ends and Vonnegut is authorized to...