Heading into chapter two, Vonnegut sets up the very bizarre external conflict between Billy Pilgrim and basically his whole society. His daughter, Barbara, most openly confronts Billy about his odd opinion on his experience with extraterrestrials. The external conflict arises because Billy believes he had been abducted by Tralfamadorians and decides he wants to let all of New York know about it. Billy goes on a radio show to share his unique experience with these time-savvy creatures. As if that was not enough, Billy Pilgrim publishes letters of the account. His daughter is horrified by her father's psychotic actions and beliefs. Soon his entire society tags him as an insane man.
Barbara displays her seriousness of the conflict by saying, "what are we going to do with you? Are you going to force us to put you where your mother is?" Vonnegut then goes to explain, "Billy's mother was still alive. She was in bed in an old people's home.." (Vonnegut, 29). The quote show that Barbara now thinks she will have to remove her father from society to solve the problem. This external conflict early on really gets Vonnegut's plot rolling. It sets up the readers intrigue on the fact that Billy Pilgrim thinks he was abducted by aliens and, later in the chapter, his mind jumps around time to add to the pandemonium.
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