Vonnegut describes Pilgrim as doing nothing to help on the battlefield, as well as pathetic and weak. “The third bullet was for the dirty flamingo [Billy], who stopped exactly in the middle of the road when the lethal bee buzzed by his ear. Billy stood there politely, giving the shooter another chance" (Vonnegut 33). Billy's mere presence on the battlefield is then used by Vonnegut to present a different and more realistic view of war, where being a soldier is not a matter of glory. Although in most cases heroism and patriotism go hand in hand, patriotism is shown to a comparatively greater extent in all three works as a theme their audience. A Farewell to Arms focuses specifically on how America at the time of World War I believed that being a soldier was about glory, honor, and courage. “Abstract words like glory, honor, courage, or sainthood were obscene next to concrete village names, street numbers, river names, regimental numbers and dates” (Hemingway