Chapter 3- Symbol

While being captured as a prisoner of war, Billy Pilgrim encounters a German commander who possesses a pair of golden calvary boots. A story is recapitulated stating that Adam and Eve could be seen in the depths of the boots when the commander polished them. Oblivious to this prior occurance, Billy Pilgrim stared into the boots and saw Adam and Eve. Naked, "They were so innocent, so vulnerable, so eager to behave decently. Billy Pilgrim loved them."(53). These boots symbolize the purity intrinsic to a part of all humans. Since both the commander and Billy Pilgrim visualized Adam and Eve in the boots, this intimates to a desire for purity within the two men. Vonnegut symbolizes the human desire for putiry through the boots by connecting them with the first and once purest humans. Also, the symbol acquires a deeper meaning since Adam and Eve were corrupted by worldly temptation as most humans are today. These temptations and imperfections of life are evident in the experience of the commander who was described to be "sick of war". Living a life of violence due to service in the armed forces, the man clings to the one article of innocence he has left, which are the boots. Through this symbol, Vonnegut shows that Billy Pilgrim strives for morality and purity despite his life of chaos and violence due to war.