Cat’s Cradle
(Kurt Vonnegut)

Science

The major theme of this novel is man’s inability to understand the power of science fully, despite craving this power. Monzano even tells Frank that he wants him to be president because he has the science and needs to share the science with others. Felix and Frank are both so into science, despite not realizing the devastating power they possess that they are unable to form meaningful human relationships due to their social anxieties. Man’s relationship with science is built on greed and is often careless; this is evidenced by Frank giving Monzano the ice-nine and Felix playing cat’s cradle when the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Free Will

The notion of free will is a funny one, because the characters all believe they have free will but according to Bokonon their destiny is already written. Bokonon knew that if he made his religion illegal everyone would follow it, just like he knew at the end of the novel that if he told people that God wanted them dead they would take their own lives. While the people believe they are making their own choices, Bokonon is making their choices for them; he is “playing God”. Even John feels as though something drew him to the island that was beyond his control.

Truth

There seems to be an overwhelming obsession for humans regarding what is “true”. To many people, science is the truth because science has to be proven; religion may feel true, but it cannot be because it cannot be defined. Miss Faust gives an example when she is speaking to John; Asa Breed asked her to say something true and she said “God is Love” but when he asked her to define “God” and “love” she could not. Therefore, her statement is not one of fact. Within this novel, science seems to be the way of uncovering the truth, while religion seems to be composed of lies, and openly so.

Good vs. Evil

What is good? And what is evil? Within this novel, there is a juxtaposition of good and evil shown in many ways; is science good or evil? What about religion? Both things can be seen as good and evil at the same time; it depends on who looks at it. Science can be evil because it causes destruction and chaos, while it is seen by some as good because it creates power and knowledge. Religion can be seen as good because it creates a sense of inner-peace and unity amongst people, but it can be seen as evil because it eliminates a person’s free will and possibly brainwashes them.

Salvation in Lies

While science is based on truth and knowledge, it is not portrayed as being as useful as religion which is based on lies. In the Books of Bokonon, Bokonon prefaces his writing by stating that everything within is based on lies; John points out that if a person does not think that lies make a decent religion then they will not like his book. The lies created by Bokonon make people feel better about the meaningless lives they are living, whereas the truth discovered by science reminds people of the sad and greedy world they are all a part of.

Religion

Bokononism is a parody of the various religions in the world and exposes the ridiculousness of people putting all of their belief into something which cannot be proven. Bokonon admits freely, and even warns people, that his stories and religion are based entirely on lies; however, no one cares about the lies; they are just happy to have something to believe in and distract them from the realities of life. Bokonon serves as a God-like deity to the people of San Lorenzo as they take his suggestions as the final word, as though they have no free will to make their own decisions; he invents lies to give hope.

Interpersonal Relationships

John describes the interpersonal relationships of the novel in Bokononist terms. He notes that groups of people who stick together form a karass and those people have a purpose in life which they may not even be aware of, and certainly no one else is aware of. Outside of the karass are less significant groups of people with a more superficial bond; these groups are called granfalloons and include political parties and Hoosiers. People who were concerned with anything outside of their karass were made fun of, while the Mintons, who only cared about one another, seemed to represent the ultimate karass--or dupress, as there were only two of them.

Destiny

Destiny goes along with free will in the context of this novel. It seems as though destiny has somehow brought all of the characters together on San Lorenzo for the end of the world. This is ironic, as John was writing a novel about the end of the world though his was based on the atomic bomb. It is unknown whether people create their own destiny based on knowledge, or whether things just happen. Bokonon prophesized about the future, which was common knowledge. So did people create their own destiny by making his prophesies come true? Or did he truly control their destiny?

Desire and Happiness

People attempt to create their own happiness out of desires but are often left feeling empty still. Frank desired the ability to control the entire world, which he received when he found his father’s ice-nine. Angela and Newt desperately desired human companionship, so they fell in love with people who were using them for their ice-nine, completely oblivious to the ill intentions. Each of the Hoenikker children was presented with the opportunity to have what they wanted, but when they got it, they found that life was still not satisfying.

The Futility of Human Actions

Julian Castle has exceptionally strong views on the meaninglessness of human life and the actions which humans partake in; he sees this in Newt’s painting of a cat’s cradle and proves his point by throwing the painting into the waterfall. Newt agrees, which is why he painted the cat’s cradle; he was showing the meaninglessness of the games adults teach children which will in no way prepare them for anything in life. People only pursue certain avenues in life in order to brag to other people about their pursuits because actions have no real meaning; Felix’s awards displayed in his office are an example.