Kurt Vonnegut's Cats Cradle Analysis

Other than satire, Vonnegut uses many apocalyptic allusions in Cat's Cradle. First, an apocalypse has to do with any universal or widespread destruction or disaster. Most often apocalypse is connected with the religious belief that there will be a Second Coming, and that it should bring hope to mankind. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut does a wonderful job alluding to an apocalypse, as well as mocking the belief that a Second Coming will bring great hope to mankind. He alludes to the apocalypse through his mention of fire and ice. As most readers know, this is alluding to Robert Frost's poem "Fire and Ice." However, it could also be seen through the mention of the atomic bomb that could have brought the world to destruction by fire, and of course to the

"All the things I am about to tell you are shameless lies." So begins the Books of Bokonon. Bokononism is an original religion that is introduced in this book, Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. The book shows the importance of religion, even if that religion is "shameless lies". It also displays how people convince themselves that things are better then they really are. I read this book because of a promise I made to my father. I'm glad I made that promise; I just read a delightfully funny and deep tale about the end of the world.

The novel Cat’s Cradle, written by Kurt Vonnegut, has become an eye opener to readers today. The novel is filled with themes that us as readers can relate to and compare to our today’s society. Many themes such as religion, science and government were satirized in the novel. As Kurt Vonnegut writes this novel, we readers tend to ask questions on why an author would write their novel(s). The criticism Kurt Vonnegut wants to communicate to his readers about the consequences in human society through science and truths of religion in his writing, Cat’s Cradle.

In Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut investigates the negative impacts that can result from humanities pursuit of knowledge through literary structure, irony, and symbolism. Kurt Vonnegut, well known for his pessimistic attitude and writing concerning the flaws of human nature, focuses this energy into Cat’s Cradle. Using satire interweaved with poetry, Vonnegut is successful in challenging the merits of human progress.

The final way in which Kurt Vonnegut satirizes religious themes is with the apocalyptic ending of Cat's Cradle. In Bokononism, it is prophesied that the boat that brought Lionel B. Johnson and Earl McCabe to San Lorenzo, the Lady's Slipper II, would sail again right before the world ended (Vonnegut 109). Ironically, that is the only prophecy to be proven correct; every other prophecy made by established religions is wrong. Ice-nine, a creation of scientist Dr. Felix Hoenikker, causes water to freeze at very high temperatures. If a tiny seed of ice-nine reaches any surface water, all the water on the planet would freeze, just like this conversation between John, the narrator of the book, and Dr. Breed, Dr. Hoenikker's boss, states:

It is expected for arguments to arise when writing about controversial topics. Many times the meaning of a book is not as obvious as the author intended, which may lead to problems. Other times, books are challenged because they contain sexual or inappropriate material. When Kurt Vonnegut released Slaughterhouse-Five critics were quick to judge his peculiar way of writing. Although Kurt Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse-Five was oftentimes misunderstood, interpreted as inappropriate, and judged for the peculiar point of view, critics seem to appreciate and accept one aspect of it: the structure of the book.

What is religion? There is no one correct answer, however, one definition that seems to cover every aspect of most established religions is, "…the most comprehensive and intensive manner of valuing known to human beings" (Pecorino). In Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut takes this definition and creates his own religion in order to satirize all others. Bokononism, Vonnegut's contrived religion, is built on foma, or harmless untruths. Bokononists believe that good societies can only be built by keeping a high tension between good and evil at all times, and that there is no such thing as absolute evil (Schatt 64). They have created their own language with words such as karass, a group of people

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is a satire on the state of world affairs in the 1960's. Vonnegut made a commentary in this book on the tendency of humans to be warlike, belligerent, and shortsighted. The main character of the book, the narrator, is certainly not a protagonist, although the modern reader craves a hero in every story and the narrator in this one is the most likely candidate. Through the narrator's eyes, Vonnegut created a story of black humor ending in the destruction of the earth.

    Cat's Cradle is, "Vonnegut's most highly praised novel. Filled with humor and unforgettable characters, this apocalyptic story tells of Earth's ultimate end, and presents a vision of the future that is both darkly fantastic and funny, as Vonnegut weaves a satirical commentary on modern man and his madness" (Barnes and Noble n.pag).  In Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut uses satire as a vehicle for threatened self-destruction when he designs the government of San Lorenzo.  In addition, the Bokonists practice of Boko-maru, and if the world is going to end in total self destruction and ruin, then people will die, no matter how good people are and what religion people believe.

Throughout his career, Kurt Vonnegut has used writing as a tool to convey penetrating messages and ominous warnings about our society. He skillfully combines vivid imagery with a distinctly satirical and anecdotal style to explore complex issues such as religion and war. Two of his most well known, and most gripping, novels that embody this subtle talent are Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five. Both books represent Vonnegut’s genius for manipulating fiction to reveal glaring, disturbing and occasionally redemptive truths about human nature. On the surface, Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five are dramatically different novels, each with its own characters, symbols,

Understanding Religion Through Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle The following is issued as a warning from the author Kurt Vonnegut to the reader: "Any one unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either"(14). The latter quote is typical of Vonnegut in his usage of creating a personal narrative. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was born in Indianapolis, like many of his characters, in 1922. His life from that point on closely resembles the lives of the people in his satirical novel Cat's Cradle.

As an author, Kurt Vonnegut has received just about every kind of praise an author can receive: his works held the same sway over American philosophy as did those of Jack Kerouac or J.R.R. Tolkein; his writing has received acclaim from academics and the masses alike; and three of his books have been made into feature films. Society has permanently and noticeably been altered by his writing. Through accessible language and easily-understood themes, Vonnegut has created works subtle, engrossing, and familiar. His main method for doing this is by exploiting a theme with which everyone is familiar and about which everyone has his own opinion: religion.

Old as the ancient stories of good and evil, the human race is abundant with flaws. As society develops, human flaws and vices also evolve and develop. Technology is now a major part of everyday life and causes human evils to cultivate into greater sins that our ancestors could not begin to imagine. This is evident in war as our most advanced technology is often applied to the sole purpose of harming others. Discussing human flaws and vices can be a very difficult subject.

Everything always has a dark side. In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Cat’s Cradle, characters that represent broad ideas are also used to demonstrate more concealed and darker ideas. For example, not only does Felix Hoenikker, one of the fathers of the atomic bomb, represent science and technology, but he also represents how science’s naivety could inflict harm and destruction. Newton Hoenikker, who lacked love and affection from his father, irrationally gives Zinka, a Russian spy, ice-nine, a deadly war weapon, in order to obtain a taste of love. Newton represents the theme that while love is indeed needed in this cruel and wicked world, it can also cause people to act illogically. Finally, Dr. Vox Humana, a Christian minister in San Lorenzo, uses a foolish method involving a chicken and a butcher knife to feel his way along with Christianity since Protestantism and Catholicism is outlawed. Humana represents the theme hat even though organized religion is needed to make people act moral, it is also flawed as people often use foolish methods in order to coexist with their religion. Vonnegut brings together all of these hidden concepts in his novel in an effort to show society its errors. Kurt Vonnegut attempts to initiate reform within society by utilizing Felix Hoenikker as the symbol for the naivety of science and technology, Newton Hoenikker as an example of how love can cause irrationality, and Dr. Vox Humana as the medium for the absurdness of organized religion.

Cats in the Cradle, a song by Harry Chapin, was a very popular song back in 1974, that featured in Top One-Hundred charts around the world. The song was intended to be a poem, but its deep lyrics and smooth rhythms led it to become one of the most successful rock songs of its time. ‘Cats in the Cradle’ depicts the story of a father, and the life he had with his son. As good as that may seem, the song is about how the father was absent from his son’s life, and how he taught his son to grow up just like him. The song’s message is felt by fathers across the world to this day and reminds them to take advantage of every day they spend with their sons. The message is that time is precious, and if you fail to build a solid relationship with your son while they are young, it could be too late to recover once they have grown up.