How Many "Legs" Does War Have?

What is it about war that it has so many different effects on people? In slaughterhouse five there are many effects present. For example, the main character, Billy Pilgrim, starts recalling incidents that occurred to him during the Second World War, but as he is telling his story, he goes back and forth in time. This got me thinking about the effects Billy suffered. There are the physical effects that almost all soldiers suffer, but the ones that worry me the most are the mental ones. Some soldiers have the fortune of suffering none, but most end war with mental distortions. What are these? Are they specific to cases? Do they happen during or after war?

Billy suffers delusions and hallucinations during war. As he is walking with “the three musketeers” commanded by Roland Weary, he recalls past memories but  also foreshadows the future: was the description of his future true, or where they hopes? By reading his descriptions, I was able to infer that Billy was a very calm guy, who was at war because he had to and had no intention of wasting any energy. He took on the war with as little interest as possible, and had no intent on really fighting.

Then there´s Roland Weary, who as I said before, thought he was the commander of “the three musketeers” and Billy. He is the complete opposite of Billy: always motivated, giving orders and eager to fight. Has war made him this ways? Has the cruel conditions he has had to overtake shaped him into showing that he was a strong personality?

War may be defined as a simple thing, “a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary),

but it’s the complete opposite of simple.