What did Vonnegut mean by so it goes?
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Netti Vonnegut’s parents were German. Translated literally into German, “So it goes” is “So geht’s” – and that is a very, very, common phrase to comment fatalistically on things one can’t change or can’t prevent to happen. “That’s life”.
Who coined the phrase and so it goes?

Billy Joel started writing this song in the early 1980s about a relationship he was having with supermodel Elle MacPherson. Their backgrounds (and heights) were so different that he knew the relationship would fail, which it did. He predicted the end of the affair with the line, “And you can have this heart to break.”
How many times does it say so it goes in Slaughterhouse-Five?
The phrase appears 106 times.
What does the saying so it goes mean?
Said of unhappy or unfortunate outcomes or turns of events. A: “I was so sorry to hear that you and Mark split up.” B: “It’s been really hard, but so it goes, I guess.” A: “I can’t believe they slashed our budget!” B: “Yeah, it sucks. Oh well, so it goes—we’ll just have to stretch what we have as thin as we can.”

What is the significance of the phrase so it goes in Slaughterhouse-Five?
Billy appreciates the simplicity of the Tralfamadorian response to death, and every time he encounters a dead person, he “simply shrug[s]” and says “so it goes.” The repetition of this phrase also illustrates how war desensitizes people to death, since with each passive mention of “so it goes,” the narrator is subtly …
What is the quote so it goes from?
Unlike many of these quotes, the repeated refrain from Vonnegut’s classic Slaughterhouse-Five isn’t notable for its unique wording so much as for how much emotion—and dismissal of emotion—it packs into three simple, world-weary words that simultaneously accept and dismiss everything.
Who wrote the song and so it goes?
Billy JoelAnd So It Goes / Composer
What is the meaning of so it is?
DEFINITIONS1. used for agreeing with what someone has said and for showing that you are a little surprised by it. ‘Look at the picture again – isn’t that your Uncle Toby? ‘ ‘So it is! ‘
What is the significance of the phrase so it goes in slaughterhouse 5?
What does Campbell write about American POWs in Germany?
What does Campbell write about American POWs in Germany? Basically, Campbell writes that people in America are poor and those poor people hate themselves. Those people who have no money, blame themselves for that.
What is the origin of so it goes?
The phrase “so it goes” appears after every mention of death and mortality in Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five’s subtitle “The Children’s Crusade” refers to the youthfulness of the soldiers who fought in World War II.
What is the Tralfamadorian concept of time?
The Tralfamadorian concept of time emphasizes the role of fate in shaping existence and completely rejects free will. When Billy is kidnapped, he understands that all people and things are trapped in life’s collection of moments like bugs trapped in amber.
Did Vonnegut use the phrase’so it goes’in Slaughterhouse Five?
Ellison’s usage just seems to be everyday use of a normal idiomatic expression. On the other hand, Vonnegut uses, “So it goes,” as repeated motif in Slaughterhouse Five; the quote is repeated after each death that occurs in the story. So, to the extent that the phrase is widely recognized in science fiction, that is probably Vonnegut’s influence.
What does so it goes mean in Slaughterhouse-Five?
The author continually uses the phrase “so it goes” after every mention of death and mortality in Slaughterhouse-Five. It reflects the belief of the Tralfamadorians that someone who is dead in one moment is alive at another moments of their life. This is because all time exists at once. So when confronted with death, Billy doesn’t need to worry.
What does the phrase “and so it goes” mean?
Thus, although, “and so it goes” makes it sound like Billy Pilgrim doesn’t care, when we read the phrase as a part of a book of satire, we are meant to read its tone as that of a lament. “So it goes” is a nod to the existential nature of Kurt Vonnegut ‘s life philosophy.
Which sci fi writer came up with the phrase’and so it goes’?
Most online searches for the phrase “and so it goes” lead to Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut published in 1969. However it is used a few times in ‘Repent Harlequin said the Tick-tock man’ by Harlan Ellison and that was published in 1965. My question is simply:- Which sci fi writer is the one who came up with the phrase?