Twenty-three years have passed since the end of the war, and for much of that time the narrator has been trying to write about the bombing of Dresden. ... In his head he refers to them and himself as the Three Musketeers, and tells himself the story of how the Three Musketeers saved the life of a dumb college kid. ... Weary tries to be chummy with his supposed buddies, the scouts, grouping himself with them as "the Three Musketeers." ... Ditched again, Weary starts to beat Billy up, furious that this weak college kid has cost him his membership in "the Three Musketeers." ...

• Word Count: 7795
• Approx Pages: 31
• Grade Level: High School

Vonnegut relates his unsuccessful attempts to write about Dresden in the twenty- three years since his return. ... While teaching at the Iowa Writer's Workshop, Vonnegut lands a three-book contract, of which Slaughterhouse-Five is the first. ... Billy falls in with three other American soldiers, two of whom are scouts and capable soldiers. ... He has imagined himself and the scouts as "The Three Musketeers," and he blames Billy for breaking them up. ... Chapter three starts off talking about Weary and Billy's captors. ...

• Word Count: 5323
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: High School