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... Cat’s Cradle actually revolves around the concept of lies still being able to provide happiness. These lies are the basis of Bokononism, a fictitious religion in Cats Cradle. ...
Richard Mathews drew some very interesting ideas from Cats Cradle. ... (Mathews 314) Mathews cites Felix Hoenikker’s fascination with the cats cradle string design to illustrate his point; that a seemingly meaningless act has been given meaning through use of the imagination. Mathews compares Cats Cradle and the protagonist John, to the prophets of Moby Dick, and the Bible. ... As Vonnegut has invented his own religion in Cats Cradle called Bokononism, it is natural that the reader draws parallels from Bokononism to the religions prevalent today. ... Klinkowitz cites the Books of Bokonon in Cats Cradle to show his main point. ...
It is difficult to deny the religious themes Vonnegut presents in Cat’s Cradle. ... Cats Cradle is Kurt Vonneguts method of comprehending organized religion, God, and the question of appearance versus reality through his creation of Bokononism, the effects of the characters on the others perceptions of reality, and the merit of a religion fundamentally based on lies.
Bokononism is the central religion of Cats Cradle, founded by an average man, who, when faced with the dilemma of extreme economic devastation, decides to create a religion to appease the minds of those affected. Bokononism is Vonneguts vehicle in Cats Cradle to understand, and satirize organized religion. ... Vonnegut pokes fun at this through the parable in Cats Cradle,
God leaned close as mud as man sat up, looked around, and spoke. ...
The black humor used in Cats Cradle is a smoke screen for Vonnegut to dodge the question that is God. ... Instead, he has recurring themes present in his books, especially in Cats Cradle. ... (Bryan 25) Tying the two together, the evidence strongly advocates the idea that humans are to live their lives according to the things that make them kind, regardless of Gods will, as humanity is only subject to it, not to change it. Bokonon says the last words of Cat’s Cradle
If I were a younger man, I would write a history of human stupidity; and I would climb down Mount McCabe and lie down on my back with my history for a pillow; and I would take from the ground some of the blue-white poison that makes statues of men; and I would make a statue of myself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who. ... Conversely "The ending of Cat’s Cradle reminds us again that we are in a fiction, that this is all a literary game […] we only know what Bokonon suggests he would do, and that Bokonon always lies and says that no one should take his advice” (Reed 127). The characters perception of reality in Cats Cradle is dependent upon their interactions with others. The reality Vonnegut creates in Cats Cradle is a web of lies and illusions. ... , "The major focus of the novel is, however, on epistemology: the narrator John, who finds it increasingly difficult to determine what is real, and what is illusory, discovers life is very much like the childrens game of cat’s cradle. ... A direct correlation is displayed by the childrens game of cats cradle, between what something is and the meaning given to it. In reality, cats cradle is simply a string between someone’s fingers fashioned into a design. But in Cats Cradle, and in many cultures, the cradle is a symbol. In Cats Cradle, Newt Hoenikker has a horrible recollection of when his father showed the cats cradle to him. ... Though he sloughs it off as nothing saying, "Cats cradle is nothing but a bunch of Xs in somebodys hands [. ... ] no damn cat, and no damn cradle."(165-166) The irony seeps through: he knows the reality of the cats cradle. ... Humanity is in an endless loop, like that of the cats cradle. ... Simons in his article, "Tangled Up in You: A Playful Reading of Cats Cradle. ... Angela, Felixs six-foot tall, hideous, blonde daughter never had friends. ... One of the opening lines to the "Books of Bokonon" sums up a major theme in Cats Cradle.
Approximate Word count = 3861
Approximate Pages = 15.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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