Customer Reviews

Deadeye Dick

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Deadeye Dick is a novel only Kurt Vonnegut could have written - quirky, strange, thought-provoking, and a little bit depressing. The story of Deadeye Dick and his family is not a happy one. Rudy Waltz acquires his unusual nickname at the age of twelve by accidentally killing a woman in his hometown, but the whole story starts well before Rudy was even born. His father was supposedly a promising artist, or at least his own mother thought so, but he and his painting tutor did little more than travel around getting drunk and carousing with women of ill repute; after the tutor was exposed as a sham, Otto Waltz went to Austria to study in the years before the Great War; his lack of talent forbade him entry to the Academy, and he developed a friendship with another failed artist who later became chancellor of the Third Reich. This association with Hitler and some of his ideas would come back to haunt Otto in the 1940s. Rudy was Otto's second son, and on the day when his father bestowed upon him the key to the gun room, Rudy took a rifle up to the top of the cupola at his family's most unusual residence, fired it randomly, and unknowingly shot a pregnant woman right between the eyes while she was vacuuming - thus did Rudy receive the nickname Deadeye Dick. His father insisted on making a production about how everything was his fault, and life would never be the same again for the dysfunctional Waltz family. They lost everything, and life got little better as Rudy matured. The story of Deadeye Dick and his family goes on to include such events as a decapitation, a death by chimney (it was made of radioactive cement), and the eventual death of everyone in the whole town by way of an accidental neutron bomb explosion. There is a lot of symbolism in the book, and Vonnegut's discussion of what certain symbols mean in the introduction is particularly helpful in understanding this novel (although I'm still a little unsure about the random inclusion of recipes throughout the story). One experiences a definite lack of closure upon completing this fascinating read, and that inevitably disappoints some readers, including myself to some degree, but I don't think any can deny the fact that Deadeye Dick offers a typically Vonnegut-like interpretation of life and offers much food for thought to the serious reader.

To my way of thinking Kurt Vonnegut is one of the greatest writers of all time, end of story. I've yet to read anything bad by him -- and even a subpar offering from him is leaps and bounds better than most other books out there. This is great for Vonnegut and the reader, but is most fortunate for Deadeye Dick because while it falls (just barely) into the category of lesser Vonnegut it is still a truly great book and a tour de force of creative writing. In its pages you will meet Rudy Waltz, a pharmacist and so-called neuter who has been hiding away from the world ever since he accidentally shot and killed a pregnant woman at twelve years old and became a double murderer known in town as Deadeye Dick. In typical Vonnegut style Waltz has a fascinating and unique way of looking at the world and telling his story, and is backed up with an endearingly eccentric cast of characters. His outrageous father is one of Vonnegut's best creations: a self-proclaimed artist with no talent or artwork, an utter narcissist and onetime friend of Hitler's who becomes a laughingstock after the outbreak of WWII because he had so ardently supported his friend without actually paying attention to his politics. So why does Deadeye Dick fail to join the pantheon of Vonnegut's greats like Slaughterhouse Five, Mother Night, and Breakfast of Champions? Because those three have a moral urgency to them that Deadeye Dick is just slightly lacking in some key parts. While it is certainly not difficult to get involved in Waltz's saga I couldn't help but wish that he had come to more definitive conclusions in the end. But it does have a killer last line, and I would highly recommend this novel to anyone familiar with Vonnegut or, especially, to anyone who has yet to experience his divine fiction.

Deadeye Dick is the kind of thing that your average person might write after a prolonged lack of sleep when the 'giddies' sets in. It doesn't entirely make sense, and some of the themes are a little wacky, but it is still very entertaining and fun to read. Vonnegut manages to use plenty of his traditionally biting humor throughout the book and deals with neutron bombs, eccentric artists, criminal coverups, and life after Ohio is obliterated. I am already biased because I am a big fan of Vonnegut's style of writing, but I found the book to be consistently interesting and can't wait to get another of his books

After finishing one of Vonnegut's books, I always like to read essays and critical thought writings on the book. As I began to read some on Deadeye Dick, I realized that most people are morons. It doesn't matter what other people thought the book was about, where the symbols are, or how he meant for things inside it to be taken. Vonnegut himself lends his thoughts to this very idea. Look at the Author's notes at the beginning of the book. He gives a list of symbols that he included in the book. Did he do this for a reason? He certainly did. But in my opinion, and if youve been reading this, you realize it doesnt matter, but in my opinion, it doesnt matter what he thinks the symbols are. It matters how you percieved the opinions, and the way i percieved them is not at all how he did. Sure, he wrote the book, but I read it, and a book unread is useless. Life goes on.
If you like Vonnegut, you'll love Deadeye Dick....

Although not Kurt Vonnegut's best novel, Deadeye Dick is an enlightening, fast-paced, and highly entertaining satrical look at the death of innocence and the randomness of life. Through the plot and the life of the protonagist, Rudy Waltz, we are shown how seemingly random and completely unforseeable events can completely change and/or wreck a person's life. Everything we do, however seemingly trivial, has a consequence. Vonnegut's writing style is as fluid and graceful as ever, with a prose, quick wit, and pace that will keep you reading. His ever-present humor and light touch with weighty subjects is apparent from the very first page. A good read that you will enjoy. If you are new to this author, I would recommend reading something like Cat's Cradle first, but this is a fine novel and recommended for all Vonnegut fans.

Sadly, Kurt Vonnegut's peephole closed in 2007, 84 years after it opened in 1922. No more Kurt. Or, to borrow yet another phrase from "Deadeye Dick," his 10th novel, he became an "innocent undifferentiated wisp of nothingness." Whether that actually happened, only he can say. In any case, these and other famous Vonnegut euphemisms ("so it goes," "the Big Black," etc.) somehow help take the sting out of our ordinary notions of death without removing any of its angst-ridden implications. Perhaps one of his greatest contributions was helping to make non-existence palatable to the masses. If so, what an ineffable gift. But maybe non-existence is funny? Or, to quote the ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzu, who sometimes sounds Vonnegetian, "Maybe death will be so great we'll regret having ever lived?"

Rudolph, or Rudy, Walz, also known as "Deadeye Dick," the novel's narrator, regrets living. He regrets it so much he forswears physical pleasure as a "neuter." After accidentally killing a pregnant woman by firing a rifle from the cupola of his house, his guilt overwhelms him. Particularly when his eccentric father, a once friend of Hitler, takes all of the blame. The two become immediate outcasts in the small town of Midland City, Ohio, succumb to a fair amount of police brutality, and then lose everything in litigation. Along the way Rudy writes a play, "Katmandu," so appallingly bad that he's barred from the theater. In response to his father's insistence that the family has not one nanoparticle of artistic talent, Rudy abandons his dream of the writing life and becomes a pharmacist. His overachieving brother becomes the head of NBC and marches through a litany of wives, the first of which he marries because he accidentally throws her through a windshield. Eventually he falls from grace and dignity. Meanwhile, the most beautiful girl in town, Celia Hoover, destroys her sanity with pharmaceuticals, which leads Rudy to muse that "the late twentieth century will go down in history, I'm sure, as an era of pharmaceutical buffoonery." Not only that, his mother dies from overexposure to a radioactive fireplace, and the population of Midland City gets decimated by a neutron bomb, though this doesn't affect the buildings. In essence, it's depopulated. Rudy and his now somewhat more sedate brother relocate to the Hotel Oloffson in Haiti, from which Rudy narrates his desultory tale. The book then closed in an open ended manner. No gestalt. Still, it does contain one of his most memorable closers, in spite of it seeming a little tacked on: "The Dark Ages - they haven't ended yet."

Vonnegut's novels are usually hard to summarize, but "Deadeye Dick" defies any attempt whatsoever. From ten thousand feet, it looks as though the novel's facile storyline exists merely as a framework for Vonnegut's observations on life and society. Calling it a first person character study does it more justice, as plot seems a mere tertiary concern throughout. Rudy's character, his upbringing, and his life's mistakes stay center stage. This does provide Vonnegut with a good vehicle to muse about confusing aspects of modern existence. The book is absolutely packed with these. As such, those who prefer Vonnegut's commentary over his storytelling will revel in Rudy's ruminations. Perhaps "Deadeye Dick" was an experiment of sorts, which may help explain why some readers love it while others loathe it. It does not stand amongst his absolute best work, but Vonnegut fans will bask in every page nonetheless. Read it before your peephole closes.

Deadeye Dick had a mix of everything, murder romance and major accident resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people in a typical American town. Rudy Waltz is telling the story of his life. Vonnegut is a master of suspense, not the usual cliched way, but he gives you inforamtion bit by bit that makes you want to keep reading. ofcourse any person can read this book but it takes a true reader and analyzer to UNDERSTAND this book. while i was reading this wonderful book, it got to me that today "...we're still in the dark ages; the darkages, they havent ended yet. (p240)" the book is full of twists, one of the little ones is that rudy waltz's father, otto waltz, saved hitler from death and starvation in Vienna before world war 1. "Think of that:my father could have strangeled the worst monster of the century, or simply let him starve or freaze to death. But he became his bosom buddy instead." A double murder, a neutron bomb explosion, a mysterious decapitation, just a few of the many ironical twists of this wonderful cynical look at society.

Dead eye Dick gives us that unique perspective that everything in life isn't exactly as it seems... even when you pull the trigger of a gun and arbitrarily kill a pregnant woman. Both sad and funny, and so honest, the way only Vonnegut can be honest.

Vonnegut does his fans a service with this satirical parable packaged with original food recipes. DEADEYE DICK starts strong and ends the same way all good novels end, leaving you looking at the world in a different light. Again Vonnegut questions the motives of the human race, its follies, and bleak fate. However, there are still bright nuggets of optimism buried in cleverly constructed metaphors.

It is easy to empathize with Rudy Waltz as he dances through the long string of bad luck that makes his life. After being labeled "Deadeye Dick", he lives the rest of his life missing out on love and trying to make up for his misdeed. For me reading this book is like wandering through a junky antique shop. The writing is full of interesting tidbits. Some are fake but still entertaining to examine.

In America's overmedicated landscape, Vonnegut offers us a chance to feel guilty for all the things we should feel guilty for and to enjoy the shinier things in life. Deadeye Dick offers reading in an antihero fashion, reminding us that everyone contains good and evil. Although arch types--heroes, villains --rarely exist in reality, Vonnegut cast the closest thing, young struggling artist Adolf Hitler. I recommend this story for anyone who enjoys a dark comedic style in writing.

Classic Vonnegut mix of humor, pathos, satire and social criticism. From 1979's Jailbird to present, he's been on a string of winners. They're not all stone cold classics, but every one is worthwhile read and has much to recommend. This is no exception.