Some things are meant to be, some things are totally random, and other things are all on you. At least we think so.
Mother Night plays up the conflicting notions of chance, destiny, and agency in a careful plot where almost everything happens by accident. Chance meetings happen all the time in the novel, and the characters tend to react by telling themselves that This is how it has to be. Well, who says? Keep in mind that the backdrop of this novel is WWII, with a focus on the atrocious crimes committed by Nazis who wanted to reshape the fate of the world. So what has to be? And what doesn't? And how do we know?
Questions About Fate and Free Will
- What, if at all, is the text's working definition of free will?
- How does Vonnegut use chance and coincidence in the novel?
- Are there characters who change their fate?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Campbell uses the notion of dumb luck to blame himself for Kraft's betrayal.
Belief in destiny is a character flaw in this text.