This detail can be taken as a symbolic device that
comments on the absurdity of the workings of human
faith.
In a story that is building up to a massive
fire-bombing and which includes mention also of atomic weapons, a small bullet-proof
Bible seems to be a rather silly mode of protection. The usefulness of such an object in
the face of the powerful forces of warfare in WWII is certainly
questionable.
Many oddities and foibles are discussed in
the novel, and the Bible here is just one example. These oddities of faith are often
contrasted to a sense that humans lack control over their
fates.
When we consider the idea that fate is already
fixed - according to the Tralfamadorians and according to the
novel's author who has already told us what will happen to all the characters very early
in the book - the prospect of a pocket-sized piece of paper and metal acting as
protection becomes patently ridiculous.
While assigning a
definite meaning to the bullet-proof Bible, we can reasonably apply the above
interpretations to it.
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