Cat’s Cradle: Between The Strings
by Lucas Kacher (2002)

      If humans strive  to fulfill their void, of  a lack of
meaning in their lives, their folly will blind them from the
truth.  Kurt  Vonnegut  portrays   his  inner  emotions  and
feelings  of  the  insignificance  of  religion  through the
characters of his novel,  Cat’s Cradle. His satiric approach
to  a subject  that many  people base  their daily existence
upon,  challenges the  readers faith.  As people  search for
a deeper  meaning in  their  lives,  the more  confused they
become.  Only to  become entwined  in the  Cat ’s  Cradle of
life.
      In the beginning, the reader is warned: “Anyone unable
to understand how  a useful religion can be  founded on lies
will  not  understand  this  book  either”  (5-6). The theme
throughout the entire novel is  set as, religion is based on
lies to  give people something to  believe, and find meaning
in.
      Vonnegut  created a  religion in  his novel, Bokonism,
founded  by a  man named  Bokonon. Through  lies, and  short
poems,  Bokonon spreads  his religion  to the  people of San
Lorenzo, a small desolate island with no future. “All of the
true things I  am about to tell you  are shameless lies.”(5)
Vonnegut, through the ideals of Bokononism, gives the reader
insight  into the  notion that  all religions  are based  on
lies,  and un-truths.  When Bokonon,  christened Lionel Boyd
Johnson, arrived  at the Island  of San Lorenzo,  he saw the
place as a disaster, which would yield no economic wealth or
prosperity.  Theonly way  that he  saw possible  for of this
place to  become a utopia  was to invent  lies in which  the
people could base their existence. These lies would convince
the  people  that  they  had  a  much  better life then they
actually did, keeping the structure  of the island alive. An
example of one of Bokonon’s short poems:

     “I wanted all things
     To seem to make some sense,
     So we all could be happy, yes,
     Instead of tense.
     And I made up lies
     So that they all fit nice,
     And I made this sad world
     A par-a-dise” (127).

      Bokonon explains his reasons  for creating the lies on
which his  religion is founded;  he makes the  peoples lives
more  wholesome. People  have always  searched for  meaning,
meaning that science has not been able to provide them with.
So  the people  therefore turn  to higher  forms of meaning,
i.e.  religion; despite  the fact  that it’s  constructed to
give meaning  when no such meaning  exists. Bokonon’s reason
why man searched for meaning in life is as follows:

         “And  God created  every living  creature that  now
         moveth,  and one  was man.  Mud as  man alone could
         speak.  God  leaned  close  as  mud  as man sat up,
         looked around, and spoke. Man blinked. “What is the
         purpose   of   all   this?”   he   asked  politely.
         “Everything  must  have   a  purpose?”  asked  God.
         “Certainly,” said  man. “Then I leave  you to think
         of one for  all this,” said God, and  he went away”
         (265).

      The oblivious  correlation between this  story, of how
humans were created, and the story of Adam and Eve, from the
bible, is  a religious satire.  Vonnegut uses this  to prove
his point  that religion is based  on un-truths that explain
the un-explainable.
      Throughout  Cat’s  Cradle,  religious  references  are
subtly portrayed  through the situations that  take place as
the book progresses. Felix Hoenikker  was “the father of the
atomic bomb” (131),  more than he was the  father of his own
children. His  scientific work caused  him to neglect  them;
however his lack of morals  allowed him to continue his work
uninterrupted.  He  was  a  scientist  who  had no quest for
meaning, but a  quest for truth. “What is  sin?” (17). Felix
was oblivious  to the destruction  that his creation  of the
atomic bomb  had caused, having  no moral obligation  to the
lives of the people that  he destroyed. “…He was practically
a Jesus, except for the son of God part” (67)
      Jesus  created  a  religion,  while  Felix created the
atomic  bomb which  killed hundreds  of thousands.  Vonnegut
uses  his satiric  play of  words to  denounce Jesus  of the
crimes  that  his  religion  has  caused.  The holy wars and
religious battles  around the world  since the dawn  of time
have claimed  many casualties, thus relating  Jesus to Felix
Hoenikker. This  relation also provides the  reader with the
notion that people feel that they do not hold responsibility
to their creations.
      Newt Hoenikker’s,  Felix’s son’s, birth  killed Emily,
Felix’s wife. Just as In Genesis Chapter 35, Line 16, of The
Bible, Rachel dies giving birth  to Israel’s baby. The lines
between Bokononism  and Christianity are fine,  and the lies
begin to overlap each other,  proving each other wrong. “The
words were a paraphrase of  the suggestion by Jesus:” Render
therefore  unto  Caesar  the  things  which  are  Caesar’s.”
Bokonon’s paraphrase was this:  “Pay no attention to Caesar.
Caesar  doesn’t have  the  slightest  idea of  what’s really
going  on”  (101)”.  Bokonon  contradicts  the  thoughts  of
Christianity, proving the lack  of true meaning in religion.
The similarities  and contradictions between  Bokononism and
Christianity are  so prevalent that the  mere fact that they
coincide  with one  another proves  them to  be bitter  lies
(Price). The only interaction that  Newt had with his father
was one  day that Felix  tried to show  him a game  of Cat’s
Cradle, in which hetried to get  Newt to see the cat and the
cradle, which were both non-existent.  All of the people who
turn to religion  are looking for a meaning  that will never
be found.
“Religion!”…”See  the  cat?”  asked  Newt.  “See the cradle”
(183).
      Newt’s constant reference to  the game of Cat’s Cradle
is a symbol of the search for meaning that people get caught
up in. Cat’s Cradle is a game that has a complete absence of
fact, no cat or cradle  exists, only the mere illusion. Newt
implies that the people who search for a meaning in religion
are  searching  for  something  that  is  not  there at all.
Bokonon  finds  it  comical  that  the  people who study his
religion  find more  meaning in  their lives  when it is all
crafted lies.
      The nihilistic views of Vonnegut begin to become clear
as Cat’s  Cradle, comes to  a close. It  is human nature  to
search  for  meaning  in  life,  meaning  that science alone
cannot provide.  Science discovered that  the basic need  of
human  existence is  “protein”  (24).  This fact  of science
intensifies  the conclusion  that human  existence is futile
without  meaning,  such  a  meaning  that religion provides.
However, that  is just the  statement that Vonnegut  expects
the people of  the world to make. The  void that humans feel
a need to  fill, with thoughts such  as religion, will never
be filled; the search for meaning is never-ending. Just like
an endless, pointless game of  Cat’s Cradle. Bokonon, in his
infinite  wisdom knew  not to  take his  own advice  and the
validity  of it  was null.  There is  no truth,  there is no
meaning, “No damn cat, and no damn cradle” (66).


Bibliography
Vonnegut, Kurt: Cat’s Cradle Delta Books 1998. (287 pages)

Price,  Liana: Understanding  Religion Through  Cat's Cradle
(http://geocities.datacellar.net/Hollywood/4953/kv_religion.html)

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