Billy Pilgrim struggles with the difficult and confrontational moments of reality and escapes to a familiar and secure world of his own. The first time that Billy claims he becomes "unstuck in time" (Vonnegut, 26) is during World War Two. He repeatedly drifts in and out of consciousness during his walk for survival with Weary and the two scouts. He tries to view his sons Little League banquet, or the cheering while he ice skates with impractical talent, or the standing ovation he receives from the Lions Club, instead of dealing with the hardships of the war. Billy's first visit with the Tralfamadorians is triggered by his daughter's marriage when he is forty-four. He easily allows himself to ignore the realism of Barbara's wedding and instead goes away inside his mind where he can be the one in control.
             Later, being haunted at his anniversary by an innocent barbershop quartet, Billy tries to flee from his reminder of the distinctly horrifying expressions of the guards after the bombing in Dresden by suddenly appearing at the Tralfamadorian zoo. However, despite his desperate escape he suddenly returns by telling his simplified version of the occurrence. He matter-of-factly describes the night Dresden was destroyed, straying from the painful sight of the "angry" (153) sun and the "black" (153) sky that will forever be imbedded in his mind. During the tragic death of his wife, Billy "dream[s] on, and travel[s] in time and so forth" (158). During the precise moment of his wife's funeral he is enthralled in "letters and lectures about the flying saucers, the negligibility of death, and the true nature of time" (164) ignoring the concept that his wife will no longer be with him. Billy is content with his false reality because it provides him a sense of security and certainty.
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