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Cat's Cradle: A Book Review

© Audrey McCrone

My favorite "Black Humorist" is Kurt Vonnegut, to date, for his novel Cat's Cradle. Other authors who fit into this genre, so to speak, are Thomas Pynchon (overly intellectual) and Jerzy Kosinski (who both invented and destroyed himself). They just can't compare with the effect of Kurt Vonnegut's humor: how it makes the reader chuckle, think, and keep the book, suggesting others read it as well.

Since I learned about Vonnegut in a classroom, I'll offer what insight I was told. Apparently Vonnegut experienced two defining moments. One was Dresden, where Allied forces bombed during WWII, killing masses of innocent civilians, "accidentally." Vonnegut was aghast and wrote <1>Slaughterhouse Five about it. The second point of definition lasted 14 years, during which Vonnegut worked in public relations, calling himself "a paid, professional liar" for G.E. (He had a degree in Engineering.)

Perhaps the actual second defining 'moment,' then, was a 1974 court case in Strongsville, Ohio, where he had to explain to the school board that his work was humor, not to be taken so seriously that it should be banned. Yes, the mark of greatness for an author seems to be getting banned by schools (something for young writers to strive for).

There are three central ideas in Cat's Cradle. "Foma" asserts that "all is lies;" that religion is farcical. "Ice Nine" details how science is in conflict with religion. Science is a cold reality, but one that is ultimately destructive. Religion will have us equally as dead, but we'll at least be nicer people because of it. The third point is "Bokonon," a fallen prophet representing religion, who comes with a whole slew of new words to love and dissect.

Religion always comes with ritual. "Bokumaru" is where we join the soles (souls?) of our feet, in order to connect with someone. Vonnegut's invented vocabulary also includes the "granfalloon," a meaningless association we make. For example, Sherwood Anderson and I are both from Ohio (a granfalloon). On the contrary, people in our "karass" have touched us meaningfully.

The characters in Cat's Cradle represent Vonnegut's pacifist view. Felix Hoenikker, whom we never see in the book, is shown as scientific: amoral, neutral, and indifferent to his kids. "What is sin?" he once asked, oblivious to religion after he creates the Ice Nine, representing the tremendous (potentially destructive) power of science. The Hoenikker children are isolated and unloved. Their motivations are power and sex.

Newt Hoenikker gives his 1/3 of the Ice Nine to a midget, a Russian ballerina, who then takes it to the KGB. He simply gave it away for sex (or, love). Angela Hoenikker, Newt's giant, ugly sister gives her 1/3 of the Ice Nine to her handsome husband, who is wealthy and works for the U.S. government in public relations. So, she gives it away for sex (love) to a "paid, professional liar." Frank Hoenikker stupidly gives his 1/3 of the Ice Nine to a character named "Papa," a Carribean dictator who slaughtered lots of his citizens for power. These children are all seeking some sort of control.