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Gerhard Müller is the nonfictional taxi driver whom Kurt Vonnegut and Bernard O’Hare meet when they return to Germany in 1967. Müller drives them through Dresden to visit Slaughterhouse Five, where Vonnegut and Bernard sheltered during the firebombing of Dresden. Müller’s own mother was killed in the bombing, but he doesn’t hold any ill-will toward his American passengers for this tragedy. In fact, the three men’s shared traumas surrounding the firebombing bring them all closer.
Despite their relatively brief relationship, Müller adds Vonnegut and Bernard to his Christmas card list, and, sure enough, Vonnegut receives a heartwarming message from the driver at Christmastime. Müller represents the spirit of genuine goodness, and part of the novel’s philosophy is that moments of goodness should be focused on and appreciated more than moments of badness. Focusing on goodness, and on the kind acts of individuals like Müller, is the only antidote against the depression, cynicism, and violence that plague humanity. In fact, the Tralfamadorians teach Billy Pilgrim this very philosophy. Additionally, Müller’s presence in the novel suggests that, despite the ongoing suffering and loss caused by WWII, there might be a chance for restoration and forgiveness. Müller’s Christmas card and Vonnegut’s dedication of the novel to Müller both represent small gestures of humanity and apology: an American reaches out to a German—and vice versa—in an attempt to heal some of the wounds from WWII.
