Billy Pilgrim, as boring as they come. - John

I absolutely detest Billy Pilgrim. Every novel to this point has been enjoyable and even exciting, until we've have to read about the melancholy of Pilgrim. I truly believe that you cannot have a great story if there is an absence of a great character to propel it forward. Great characters grow, learn, and most importantly, we can relate and sympathize with these characters, but Billy is only palatable at best. From the rule-bound 1984 to the drug-driven Brave New World, we are offered great characters that are smart, strong and dedicated to their cause. There is a great difference between characters like Bernard and Winston and characters like Billy. You see, Bernard and Winston are event-making while Billy is only eventful. What this means is that Bernard and Winston both set out with a goal in mind as they both try to improve their world. We, as humans, find this noble and is why we appreciate characters as such. Billy, on the other hand is as boring as they come, emotionless and dead inside, and yet this novel is only tolerable since the story that revolves around Billy is interesting.

Bernard and Winston both attempted to change their worlds. Winston tried to expose the government for what it really is and Bernard tried to shake up society with the appearance of John. Although they hadn`t succeeded, they at least attempted  to make a difference and it is was makes their stories so great. Billy, however, is the exact opposite of these men. He is of no great importance and it is only by chance that he obtains the role of the main character in the novel. Bernard and Winston both set out to make an event while Billy allows the events to happen around him.

Billy has no goals in life, which causes him to just wander around aimlessly through time. This is because he already knows exactly what happens in the future, so he has nothing to look forward to, and thus leaving him lifeless. When one's left to believe that destiny is predetermined and any attempt to change is has already been foreseen, one would undoubtedly become dull as well since nothing can be done to change the future. This is what has happened to Billy and is why he never does anything out of the ordinary or try to change anything because he believes that it is fate. This makes Billy unlikeable by the audience because he never tries to do anything different. All in all, Billy could have had some improvements to his character like emotions that would have made him more bearable as a person.