Stereotypes are predominant throughout the novel, ranging from stereotypes of the British, Russians, Germans, to Americans. I think the reason why this theme is so strong has a lot to do with the novel being a war story. The war, for most of the young men in it, is their first significant experience with another country. All the soldiers, from all sides, can only rely on what they've been told growing up, so when they're confronted with a different nationality, of course they're going to have a set of expectations and beliefs. By having these stereotypes Vonnegut is showing how childlike the soldiers really are, and it also creates a similarity between all soldiers that conveys the message that all the young men are the same. The bad guys are the ones putting the men, barely out of high school, to war.
One of the most humerous incidents involving stereotypes occurs with the introduction of the British war prsioners. These soldiers are "adored by the Germans, who thought they were exactly what Englishmen ought to be" (94). This is a great line, shoing how stereotypes can make people comfortable. It's a system of classification that puts things in order. The Germans, in their adoration of the British for adhering to their stereotype, are thankful, letting "them have four sheds" (94) to live in.
When the Americans arrive, the British, who've been preparing for their arrival, do seem to adhere to a stereotype, welcoming the Americans after their song, with "Good show," calling them "yank" (95) as they lead them into thier shed. At this point the British have still not realized the horrible condition of the American soldiers, and don't realize until they're about to perform their own version of Cinderella. Billy, exhausted, stands too close to the stove and catches on fire. One of the British prisoners helps him, and then looking at him, touching him "exploratorily here and there, filled with pity" asks "My God, what have they done to you, lad? This isn't a man. It's a broken kite" (97). This shows how surprised and forlorn the British are over the condition of what is supposed to be a mighty, American soldier. The British also have stereotypes of others, made evident, when the British soldier then asks Billy, "Are you really an American?" (97). He can't believe it. American's are supposed to be strong, and big, full of arrogance and pride, and Billy is none of these things.
By destroying stereotypes, Vonnegut is showing war as it really is. He's already showed that wars are not fought by powerful men but by young ones, without a bottomless well of strength to draw from, without wisdom and maturity. They don't display an incessant valor, but an incessant helplessness. The British man, who hasn't seen Americans or anyone else besides the Germans for so long, has clearly imagined a different kind of American than the one standing in front of him, in a miniature, ridiculous coat, unable to even keep himself from beinf enflamed. This is the eradication of a stereotype, and it causes the British prisoner distress, because he now has to change how he thinks, and rebuild how he imagines Americans and even the war. Asking himself, if this is what an American looks like, then how can the Germans possible be defeated?
Another incident where stereotypes are challenged occurs when the Germans at the POW camp meet the American's. Their reaction is much like the British Prisoner's reaction. They can't believe how weak and disheveled the Americans look. One German soldier, while measuring Billy's arm, "asks a companion what sort of army would send a weakling like that to the front"(83). Then, in unision, they take in the forms of the rest of the Americans, finding "a lot more that were nearly as bad as Billy's" (83). Vonnegut wants readers to see those bodies too, to realize that war is fought with little men. At one point, Derby in speaking with Billy after seeing all the clean shaven soldiers, explains that he had "imagined the war would be fought with aging men," that "he had forgotten that wars were fought with babies" (106). He goes even further, saying that when he saw the "freshly, shaved faces" he thought, "My God, my God-It's the Children's Crusade" (106).
The biggest stereotype Vonnegut is bringing down is this one: The heroic ethos of war, that it is a place of true men and honor when it is really a slaughterhouse for children.
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