be useful (Vonnegut, Sirens, 310). The theme and plot of meaninglessness and uselessness mirror Vonnegut's experiences in the aftermath of Dresden (Amer. Lit. Bio., 301, 303-304). God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater also exhibits elements of Vonnegut's take on technology and existentialism in plot and theme. The protagonist, millionaire Eliot Rosewater, gives up the life of riches and comfort to live in an impoverished town full of very ordinary, simple people. He discovers that these people need him. They are people of such low esteem, and he, someone of such high social position, can help them find value in their lives. His abandonment of what modern society offers a rich man like him ties in with the existentialism of the story. A conversation between Eliot and his ex-wife Sylvia demonstrates this quality: Eliot: Can I help being human?Sylvia: No.Eliot: Can anybody?Sylvia: Not that I know of.Eliot: How is everybody?Sylvia: Here?Eliot: Anywhere.Sylvia: Fine.Eliot: I'm glad. (Vonnegut, Rosewater, 90-91)Instead of using religion, Vonnegut expresses existential concepts through the compassion of one man for people who feel no self-value (Reed, 146-171). Other parts of Kurt Vonnegut's life have influenced his writing. Among these are his mother's suicide, places from his life, and his careers. Each of these elements shows up in his works. His mother's suicide shows up in a subplot of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. While Vonnegut was in Germany during World War II, his mother became depressed and killed herself with sleeping pills the night before he came home for a Mother's Day visit (Amer. Lit. Bio., 301). He once wrote: [Suicide] has always been a temptation to me, since my mother solved so many problems with it. The child of a suicide will naturally think of death, the big one, as a logical solution to any problem, even one in simple algebra. (Streitfeld, C13)In fact, Vonnegut himself made a suicide attempt in 1984, using sleeping pills and a...
