Cat's Cradle

Quote/Passage-

"To whom it may concern: These people around you are almost all of the survivors on San Lorenzo of the winds that followed the freezing of the sea. These people made a captive of the spurious holy name named Bokonon. They brought him here, placed him at their center, and commanded him to tell them exactly what God Almighty was up to and what they should do. The mountebank told them that God was surely trying to kill them, possible because He was through with them, and that they should have the good manners to die. This, as you can see, they did.

The note was signed by Bokonon." (pg. 182)

I chose this particular passage, because it really symbolizes the depth behind the Bokononist religion, which there was none of. The entire island of San Lorenzo with all the people, Papa Monzano, the Hoenikkers, Mona, and the people all centered their lives around lies. The entire bokononist religion has no truth behind it, however so many of these people follow it. It shows the insignificance of the religion and how many people had to pay for being persuaded into believing it. They all died for no reason and Bokonon, the one who created it, was to blame. He was such a hypocrite making them die for this religion when he, being the person behind it all, would not die for it himself. He just knew that the island would not be function able without something, so he based it all on lies. It just shows his cowardliness and that this religion that everyone ends up following, is completely pointless.

Even John, who seems to be one of the only normal characters in this book, is persuaded into believing this book full of lies and deceit. It just shows how if you advocate something enough, eventually people are going to start going along with it, even if they do not know why. It just shows how influential some things that are so simple can be. Even half the poems, if not most of the poems in the book of Bokononists, are words jumbled together that really do not make any sense what so ever. It just rambles on, making it seem like their is vital information within its pages, however nothing holds any real importance.

It also represents one of the main themes throughout the book, that people can make huge inventions or discoveries, however they do not think about how it will affect others. They do not take into consideration the significance of their actions and they are unable to fathom the negative effects it can have on people. Bokonon in this passage shows that he did not care at all about the people that Bokononism influenced and he did not care if they lived or died. Felix Hoenikker is exactly the same because with his input on the atomic bomb and the invention of ice nine, he is wiping out most of the world. Ice nine has the power to kill so many people, however him and his children can not realize the terrible effects that these things have on other people. It just shows their lack of consideration and understanding for the people who their inventions are going to affect.

My Opinion-

I did enjoy this book because, no matter how many times you read it, there is always something that will be new. It really makes me stop and think, and I do not know all the answers to the questions in this book, which I like. It is so different from anything else I have ever read, and the uniqueness of it, intrigued me. I also definitely like the style of writing and I found it to be a fast read. The way the chapters were broken up also was something that helped it go fast and hold my interest.

No matter how complex, the characters were so interesting and I thought John was very likable. I loved the similarities and differences shown between Ilium and San Lorenzo. Also the introduction to ice nine and Bokononism made me all the more curious to continue reading. Some of the things that are important to these characters, are so hard to comprehend, especially Felix. Yet, that is just part of the depth to his character explanation. I feel however far fetched this book may be, it is still an awesome read that keeps you entertained throughout the entire thing.

I think Kurt Vonnegut did a really good job with his descriptions of the characters and the overall mood and tone he sets in the book. I love the change of scenery from Ilium to San Lorenzo. I also liked the ending, even though I did not at first. Even though it was a little predictable, it still was just so crazy and imaginative that I changed my opinion about it. The tornadoes and everything being turned to ice, is just so unimaginable, however really interesting. However, I did not like the immaturity and inconsideration of both Felix and Bokonon. Both of these men were the reasons for so many peoples deaths, and it they were very unnecessary. That, I found a hard time accepting, just because I felt that Felix did not care about anyone else in the world except himself, and it is hard handle.

Symbols/Themes/Etc.-

Bokononism symbolizes how easy it is to make up a religion and to sell it to people, because they are so easily manipulated into believing lies. The people of San Lorenzo just go along with this religion never questioning it, or investigating its deeper meaning. It just shows that people are so easily influenced because everyone feels the need to follow and believe in something. The people of San Lorenzo were desperate for something to believe in, and that is why Bokononism influenced them so heavily.

Ice nine symbolizes that the immaturity of only a few people and the geniusness of another, can destroy the world. It shows that some people do not know what to do with power and some do not understand its importance. Ice nine is an example that one invention has the power to destroy everyone and everything. It just shows how irresponsible someone can be and that many people do not care about anyone but themselves. Ultimately, it is that one person can have the overwhelming power to destroy all of mankind.