While working as a police reporter, Vonnegut is exposed to many tradegies including the accidental death of a man who was squashed by a car. He is rather unaffected by this event despite the fact that he was the one who informed the deceased man's wife about the accident. When asked if the morbid incident bothered him, Vonnegut replied, " Heck no...I've seen lots worse than that in the war." (10). This particulary resonated with me because I felt sympathy toward the man and his wife; hence, I was bewildered at Vonnegut's indifference. This lead me to the conclusion that war desensitizes people, especially soldiers.
An example of similar detatchment due to violence is the pop culture phenomenon, the Hunger Games. Due to the reality of death in the Hunger Games, it can be compared to the bloodshed of war. In both situations, one fictional, the other all too real, all parties involved are desensitized to tragedy and violence.
When I read this, I immediately thought of Haymitch. Haymitch's experience in the Hunger Games somewhat strengthened him as a human being.
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