How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Drawn crudely in the dust of three window-panes were a swastika, a hammer and sickle, and the Stars and Stripes. I had drawn the three symbols weeks before, at the conclusion of an argument about patriotism with Kraft. I had given a hearty cheer for each symbol, demonstrating to Kraft the meaning of patriotism to represent a Nazi, a Communist, and an American. 'Hooray, hooray, hooray.' I'd said. (16.18-19)
Three different symbols, three different ideals, and it all comes down to cheering. All three of these ideologies require you to go to a sporting area and chant. This is grim stuff. Vonnegut wants us to consider that if all three of these groups are willing to shovel their citizens onto a gruesome battlefield and then tell them that to die is to live forever, then maybe people need to reevaluate how their participation in society is playing out.
Quote #8
'Oh, it's just so damn cheap, so damn typical,' I said. 'This used to be a day in honor of the dead of World War One, but the living couldn't keep their grubby hands off of it, wanted the glory of the dead for themselves. So typical, so typical. Any time anything of real dignity appears in this country, it's torn to shreds and thrown to the mob.' (23.42)
Campbell says this when he finds out that the U.S. swapped out Armistice Day for Veterans Day. Why do the dead have more honor than the living, in Campbell's eyes? Does Campbell value the sacrifices of WWI more because his father had a WWI picture that he loved? Is it because changing the holiday erases the past? Lots of questions.
There are no easy answers, but we're a little surprised here. This is the first time Campbell reveals any kind of patriotic sentiment: he seems to care a lot about lives lost in the line of duty—a form of combat very different from his own participation in the war.
Quote #9
'You hate America, don't you?' she said.
'That would be as silly as loving it,' I said. 'It's impossible for me to get emotional about it, because real estate doesn't interest me. It's no doubt a great flaw in my personality, but I can't think in terms of boundaries. Those imaginary lines are as unreal to me as elves and pixies. I can't believe that they mark the end or the beginning of anything of real concern to a human soul. Virtues and vices, pleasures and pains cross boundaries at will.' (23.43-44)
Looking at a map, it's easy to forget that humans made up the boundaries in the first place. Animals, plants, water, air, fire, disease—all these things travel without passports. Campbell never forgets this, so he doesn't privilege one nationality over another. The illusion of statehood isn't compelling to him, and you can't be a devout patriot if you keep the reality of physical geography in mind.