46 pages • 1 hour read
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1965A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Suicide
The motif of suicide supports the theme of The Fear of Uselessness and Obsolescence. In Kilgore Trout’s novel 2BR02B—the title of which Eliot maintains is an allusion to Hamlet’s famous opening soliloquy—death is voluntary. As a result, there is a rise of ethical suicide parlors, where attractive hostesses help people who feel “silly and pointless” (21) die in painless ways. This speculative scenario contrasts starkly with the novel’s reality, in which financial ruin drives people like Fred’s father to death by suicide. Eliot posts fliers for the foundation, asking people to call him if they are contemplating suicide. He often buys them more time, sometimes giving a few hundred dollars to convince someone to live another week. Eliot has experience with suicide. Immediately after realizing that he has killed three unarmed firefighters in World War II, he lies down in front of a moving truck, only to be saved at the last moment. He feels unworthy of the second chance he has been given, and he uses his good fortune to help those around him. Fred’s constant contemplation of suicide and his obsession with life insurance represents the generational effect that suicide can have on a family. Eliot’s financial gift saves Fred and his family, breaking the self-destructive cycle that could have continued with Fred’s son, little Franklin.
The Rosewater Fortune
The Rosewater fortune symbolizes the socioeconomic gap between the wealthy and the impoverished. The Senator believes that the $87 million fortune should be used to further enrich the family. However, Eliot, who has stewardship of the money, believes that it should be used to help the people of Rosewater County. Despite The Senator’s claims that a person can make a fortune through their own ingenuity, the Rosewater fortune is a reminder that he inherited his money. The Senator did not earn it, nor did he augment it. The foundation’s sole purpose is to help the family avoid paying taxes on their estate. The standards of self-reliance and American exceptionalism that the Senator values in others are not a priority for him because, in society’s eyes, his wealth is proof of his industry, regardless of whether he earned it.
The Money River
The Money River symbolizes the inequality of the capitalist system. It is visible to everyone, yet only the privileged know how to make the best use of it. Those who are wealthy pass down the secrets of “slurping” (121) from the Money River to their offspring, while the less privileged lack the tools to access it. Rivers symbolize nourishment and have always been central to the creation of civilizations. In American society, the Money River is the life water that feeds some and starves others. Because the Money River is known only to those who already possess power and wealth, the river serves as a metaphor for socioeconomic class barriers.
Fire and Firefighters
Fire symbolizes both comfort and destruction for Eliot, and firefighters represent altruism and community service. As a boy, Eliot was a volunteer for the Rosewater County Fire Department. When he gets drunk as an adult, he often finds himself in skirmishes as he lauds the various fire departments he has seen and rants about the heroism of firefighters. After realizing that the men his unit killed were firemen, not soldiers, Eliot becomes obsessed with fire departments and fire. Trout assures Eliot that his devotion to firefighters is reasonable. He calls volunteer firefighters “almost the only examples of enthusiastic unselfishness to be seen in this land” and explains that they are in the business of “treasuring people as people” (265-66). During Eliot’s final psychological crisis, he hallucinates a firestorm consuming the city of Indianapolis.
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By Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
