Essay on Kurt Vonnegut’s novels Cat’s Cradle and...

An Existence based on Forma (harmless untruths) â€Å"No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat’s Cradle is nothing but a band of X’s between someone’s hands and little kid’s look and look at all those X’s†¦ No damn cat and no damn cradle,† Vonnegut writes is his appropriately titled book Cat’s Cradle. A cat’s cradle is a string trick we all grew up learning and seeing, and it is just as Vonnegut described, nothing. Everyday we experience things like a cat’s cradle; we experience insignificant objects, feelings, or idols that we base our life on. We base and change our lives off of things with no real significance. Kurt Vonnegut’s novels Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five demonstrate the ineptness of the human race to base our life and happiness†¦show more content†¦The main character and protagonist of Cat’s Cradle is a man called John whose effort in life was to create a book titled â€Å"The Day the World Ended,† in which he cou ld document the lives of the most famous nuclear physicists on the day and moment the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Throughout John’s journey to write his book, he finds himself traveling to strange and unpredictable places, which does not bother him because, â€Å"Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God†(Cat’s Cradle, 83) John finds himself traveling to tropical paradise, San Lorenzo. This fictional land was where John fell in love with a girl named Mona, and also where a religion began, a religion called Bokonism. Bokonism is a religion based on Lies. â€Å"Anyone who cannot understand how a useful a religion can be based on lies†¦,† (Cat’s cradle, 29) states the book of Bokonon, the founder of the religion. Bokonism is a very interesting, useful, and practical religion. It was begun by a man recently saved from death, a shipwreck. Bokonon realized through the war he was fighting with at the time before he was shipwrecked how pointless everything is, until we give it a point. Bokonon was a great philosopher with countless mind opening quotes. â€Å"Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly, man got toShow MoreRelatedEssay on Anti-War Sentiments in Cats Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five1173 Words   |  5 PagesOn the surface, Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five are vastly dissimilar works of literature, each with its own creative style and plot. However, when the texts are examined with a discerning eye one can notice multiple thematic undercurrents such as war fate,time and suffering hidden in plain sight. Overwhelmingly common in Cats Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five are strong anti-war sentiments which show all the ways war is deleterious towards the human condition.(Marvin) VonnegutRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse Five 1634 Words   |  7 PagesKurt Vonnegut once said, â€Å"So it goes† to describe the unavoidableness of fate. This aspect of seeing terrible things and being able to continue on would become a main theme in his novels. Vonnegut, as an author, received his essential voice by writing about his own experiences, using what would become his signature pessimistic yet humanist view. Vonnegut is described by Lindsay Clark as, â€Å"Worse than a pessimist†¦ he is an eternal optimist doomed to disappointment† (Clark, â€Å"Viewing Four Vonnegut NovelsRead MoreKurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse Five 1901 Words   |  8 PagesKurt Vonnegut developed his view of America through a history of personal loss and trauma that was largely endured at the same time by his characters. As a child, Kurt Vonnegut lived in Indianapolis, Indiana, which he would use in many of his later novels. His father was a prominent architect, while his mother came from the family of a wealthy brewer. After the depression hit, his father lost his business and gave up, his mother became addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs. 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TheRead More Comparing Themes in Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five1905 Words   |  8 PagesThemes in Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   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 Cats Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five. Both books represent Vonnegut’s genius forRead More Kurt Vonnegut Jr.s Cats Cradle Essay3320 Words   |  14 PagesKurt Vonnegut Jr.s Cats Cradle In the early sixties, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. released his candidly fantastical novel, Cats Cradle. Within the text an entire religious sect, called Bokononism is born; a religion built on lies, absurdity, and irony. The narrator of Cats Cradle is Jonah, a freelance writer who characterizes Bokononism as being, free form as an amoeba (Vonnegut, Cats Cradle, 3). It is boundless and unpredictable as the unconscious itself. Bokonon lives on the impoverished islandRead MoreThe Life and Writings of Kurt Vonnegut Essay2248 Words   |  9 PagesKurt Vonnegut is celebrated as one of the most successful novelist in the Post-Second World War period in the America. His literary works have had varied impacts on American culture, including the use of the word â€Å"karass† amongst college students, the naming of the pop groups â€Å"Ice Nine Kills† and â€Å"The Billy Pilgrims†, and the frequent use of the term â€Å"So it goes† as written in Vonnegut’s obituary on the New York Times (Farrell, p.ix). This article examines the impacts of Vonnegut’s on his literaryRead MoreQuestioning the Value of Literary Realism in Slaughterhouse Five, Cats Cradle, and Mother Night734 Words   |  3 PagesQuestioning the Value of Literary Realism in Slaughterhouse Five, Cats Cradle, and Mother Night In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery OConnor has written, I am interested in making a good case for distortion because it is the only way to make people see. Kurt Vonnegut writes pessimistic novels, or at least he did back in the sixties. Between Slaughterhouse Five, Mother Night, and Cats Cradle, Vonnegut paints a cynical and satirical picture of the degradation of society