In Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five,
Billy's time traveling is his experiencing what all Tralfamadorians
experience. The aliens experience all of existence at any given time. Thus, they see
their existence as a whole. They see consequences and repercussions of their actions at
the time they act.
That's the point of Billy's time
travel. Humans don't see the whole picture. Humans don't see the consequences and
repercussions of their actions. The implication is that, if humans could see, or would
think about, the whole picture, they wouldn't do things like bomb the city of Dresden,
treat each other cruelly, etc.
Vonnegut uses the
Tralfamadorian view of their lives, and Billy's time travelling, to demonstrate this
point. Vonnegut was an atheist, but he was not a nihilist. He satirizes humans with
the hope that they will learn to behave better.
At the same
time, I would be amiss if I didn't point out another side of the issue. Since neither
the Tralfamadorians or Billy can change the future even though they see it, being
"unstuck" in time suggests a lack of free will. Billy sees his death before it occurs,
but is unable to or at least does not stop it. And the aliens know that they will cause
the destruction of the universe, but will do it anyway.
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