Some scholars would argue that Karabekian, the artist who also makes an appearance in Breakfast of Champions and Deadeye Dick before his final appearance in the mock-autobiography Bluebeard, is an overarching example of authorial self-insertion. In other words, the fictional character of Rabo Karabekian is but a thinly-veiled version of Vonnegut himself. Not only does Vonnegut cast himself as the central character, but overall, the novel could be seen as a fictional representation of Vonnegut’s life and career, as Karabekian explores many of the themes and ideas that are central to Vonnegut’s work: identity, the role that the artist plays in society, and the question of what art really is, to name just a few. More parallels come to light when comparing the lives of the two men: Karabekian, like Vonnegut, is a married man and former soldier, and both are innovators, however controversial, in their respective fields.
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