In his life, Kurt Vonnegut embodied the notion of beauty found in irony. His literary works reflect his unique feelings of society and his belief in humanism is revealed through his lifestyle. His death marks the end to a period of our culture and history.

When I heard of Vonnegut’s death, I remembered an interview he gave where he announced plans to sue the manufacturers of Pall Mall cigarettes for not being able to kill the chain smoker. He could find the irony in his own life and he acknowledged the awkwardness of existence.

I remember, in my junior year of high school, a friend casually passed on a copy of Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five.” Some people hear great speeches which inspire them, some people fall in love with idealistic leaders, and some people devote their lives to a cause; I started reading Kurt Vonnegut books and found comfort with the fact that someone could laugh at the world’s problems and still find a simple beauty in people.

You may think it odd that I feel strongly about the death of a person I never met, but Vonnegut was the last of a generation who spoke against the glories of false promises and encouraged an admiration for the individual. His devotion to being humane and his mindful nature of the best and worst accomplishments of society are qualities I hope will continue with future authors.

I fear that, with his passing, the world may move on from laughing at itself, but as Vonnegut pointed out in his last book (“A Man Without A Country”), when Pandora released all the evil onto the world, she also released hope.