Escaping In Time

We've all had moments where we wished to escape. Either at one in the morning, stuck doing an essay, or in class, taking a test we know nothing about. We've all felt that urge of stopping time and resting for a while. It would be great to take a nap and wake up knowing nothing has changed.

In a way, what Billy is doing when he's unstuck in time is basically daydreaming. We've all daydreamed before. The difference is we normally daydream of the future. Our imagination is the only one that can take us to wherever we want, whenever we want. If the present is too difficult to handle, the best solution is to fly to the future. We're not certain of what may happen, but at least we get to imagine it perfect.

Billy does the opposite. He goes back in time. Why go to the past when the future can be whatever you want it to be? Billy Pilgrim isn't hopeful about the future. Compared to the present, the past is paradise. He has given up on everything: "Billy had a framed prayer on his office wall which expressed his method for keeping going, even though he was unenthusiastic about living." (PDF)

Yesterday my science egg broke. I was really angry at myself. I had to take care of it for 2 weeks and it didn't even last 3 days. I was determined to get a high grade. I know this isn't possible anymore. Things like this happen all the time. Getting unsatisfying grades, losing soccer games, fighting with friends are just examples. The way I manage to leave these things behind is thinking how much they weigh in my life. I think, in 10 years, will my 10th grade biology egg project have any effect? Of course it won't. This helps me understand it's not a big deal. What's done is done. Billy can't do this. On his office, he has a frame that says: "GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, AND WISDOM ALWAYS TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE." (PDF) After that, the narrator tells us: "Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the present and the future." (PDF) I understand why he can't change the past and present, but the future may vary. This shows he completely gave up. He's practically not living. He's surviving. With no hope left in the future, all he can do is find shelter in the past.