Happy Birthday, Wanda June

The basic plot of the book is a man who used to be considered a hero, but after an eight year absence from society, comes back and sees that he is no longer seen as he used to be. In this play Vonnegut expresses his protest of the Vietnam War. Vonnegut does this with the character of Harold Ryan and his family. Harold Ryan symbolizes a Vietnam veteran who comes back to the States after fighting. Just like the Vietnam veterans, Harold is seen as a warmongering brute by his wife. She now is interested in a man who doesn't believe in violence and is an intellectual. --Christopher Pantano at Amazon.com.