Crafting Creative Concepts with Charlotte

Arguably the most defining line of Slaughterhouse-Five is "so it goes". Billy Pilgrim uses this phrase freely throughout the novel, usually in the context of something which would normally be seen as tragic or sickening. The Tralfamadorians use it to remind themselves that time isn't linear, so they shouldn't feel sad or upset when bad things happen. However, Billy tends to use "so it goes" more dismissively, using it to push his problems and traumatic experiences aside. This toxic adaptation of Tralfamadorian culture hurts Billy, as it prevents him from reflecting on and working out his wartime trauma.  From the beginning of the book, it's pretty clear that Billy has some level of psychological damage from the war. He shows recurring symptoms of PTSD, and his uncontrollable time travel could easily be interpreted as traumatic flashbacks. Every time Billy is haunted by his memories of the war, he pushes them away by simply stating, "so it goes&qu