Book Review of Cat's Cradle

The goal of this paper is to discuss aspects of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Cat’s Cradle” which was copyrighted in 1963. I will expand on this by describing why it was written and what the main themes of the book are. Then I will discuss what shocked me about this novel. Finally, I will end with going into detail on why people would care about the book.
I believe that Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is providing social commentary on science, technology, and religion. With science and technology, he is suggesting that people often desire more and more advancements within science and technology to eventually reach the ultimate “truth” of humanity. To find all the answers to every question is the desire for science and technology. Some can view this as science being similar to a religion since it provides the individuals with hope and provides a pathway for individuals to follow. However, Vonnegut would suggest from this work that this reach to the supreme limitless aspects of science and technology will eventually lead to the downfall of humanity.
After the creation of the atomic bomb and other weapons that were devised in order to end wars had the reverse effect. These weapons just end up and make wars more devastating. I think that Vonnegut is suggesting that these advances in science and technology were done by individuals who didn’t necessarily think about the ramifications of what they were developing. I would suggest the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. had an overall lack of trust of science and technology.
Felix creates the ice-nine, a device to freeze mud, after being ordered to by a military official. However, Felix never kept records of this scientific advancement, only leaving the technological discovery to his children after his death. I believe this aspect respects that the scientists are putting the work into advancements and then pass the information along to further generations to do with it what they please. Two of his children use the ice-nine to their own advantages to further their lives, and the other child has his stolen from him. I would say that Vonnegut was suggesting that scientists have a lack of morals, they may think that their discoveries will be used for good, but if they are creating something for war then it most likely will be used to kill or assist in the killing of individuals.
The irony of this novel is that John, the author of “The Day the World Ended” actually played a role in the day that the world did end. The dictator of the San Lorenzo island had swallowed some of the ice-nine, and there was an attempt to melt the rest of the ice-nine that was there, and to burn the bodies of the individuals that had swallowed it. But John, and Felix’s children that were there decided to stop what they were doing to go begin the “Hundred Martyrs to Democracy” ceremony. While the ceremony was going on there was a crash that resulted in a landslide which then swept the rest of the ice-nine into the ocean, thus freezing all of the ocean water. I believe that this symbolizes that the search for ultimate truth in science and technology will be the downfall for humanity. That if these devices are created, they are left in the hands of reckless people who seem to be inconsiderate of the responsibilities that they have, and thus the devices can cause great havoc. This is the aspect of the book that I found most shocking, I had heard people talking that humans would eventually lead to their own demise, but I had never read it in suggest detail by a talented author. This put the situation into a perspective that was easier to understand than people I know complaining about humans leading to the end of the world.
When John travels to San Lorenzo, he discovers that all of the island’s inhabitants belong to a religion known as Bokononism. This religion was based upon lies and that individuals could never realize God’s plan. I believe this is social commentary on religion with passages conflicting and being contradictory at times. Within Bokonism, if the religion is based upon lies, it is a lie that individuals could never realize God’s plan, and to go to the extent then it is a lie that the religion is based upon lies. The Bokononism was based upon the thought that an individual really does understand, but really just believes in a bunch of lies. Even though individuals of the religion know this is true, it still gives them a form of hope, even if the hope that is provided is a false hope.
The leaders of the island used Bokononism to control the inhabitants of the island. They had the religion created and then outlawed it and gave the death penalty to individuals who would practice the religion. However, by doing this they created a strong sense of community with the islanders and it hooked these individuals on the religion. There was a strong sense of pressure on the religion, this causes the individuals who to believe in it to feel threatened and thus they group together and develop a stronger sense of community. I believe the Bokononism was used as a form of social control. Conflict theory came to mind when I was reading this novel. The religion became “an opiate of the masses” and used like a drug to keep people in line. The ruling power uses the religion to focus attention off of other aspects of life that may not be going so well, such as poverty on the island.