"Cat’s Cradle" Book Review

Introduction

When I first started reading this book, I found it challenging to understand because of its unique writing style. The author of Cat’s Cradle divided the book into 127 chapters, with each chapter's title being significant to the paragraphs within it. This book was recommended to me by my sister, who knew I would like it because it is a satire, science fiction, and different from other books. It is about a man named Jonah (also known as John) who is writing a book about the day the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. In Jonah’s book, he also decides to write about the person who created the atomic bomb. The book starts with the narrator introducing his beliefs as a Bokononist and how he used to be a Christian when he was writing his book titled The Day the World Ended.

Initial Impressions

The first couple of chapters of the book were very boring and extremely confusing due to the lack of events in the story and the frequent change of setting. When I got to chapter five, events really started to pick up, and it got more interesting. In chapter five, Jonah wrote a letter to Newt Hoenikker, Felix’s youngest son. Felix Hoenikker is the scientist who created the atomic bomb. He wrote a letter to him to gain more information about the day the atomic bomb dropped and his relationship with his father. Newt replied to Jonah’s letter and mentioned that he does not remember much from that day because he was little, but he claims that he did not have a good relationship with his father. Newt also mentions how his mother, Emily, had passed away when she was giving birth to him. Later on, we are introduced to another character named Asa Breed. Dr. Breed was Felix's supervisor at the Research Laboratory where Felix helped develop the atomic bomb. John interviewed him when he was researching for his book. During the interview, Dr. Breed mentioned something named ice-nine to John. Ice-nine is one of Felix’s projects to create something that can freeze up all the water on earth. As a reader, knowing this information about ice-nine got me very hooked on the book because I really wanted to know what would happen next. At the same time, knowing all of this, I had so many questions that came to my mind, such as, does ice-nine really exist? And if so, who has it? Where I am in the story, the book is fairly interesting despite the boring introduction to the plot and characters. My impression of the characters is that they are unique and different from any other book I have read, mainly because I do not relate to any of them. I am currently enjoying my book because the events are starting to get interesting. My prediction for what happens next is that Jonah will stop writing about the day the atomic bomb dropped but instead do more research and will write about ice-nine.

Midway Reflections

After reading half of the book, I have realized that it is an extremely slow book. Events take forever to end, and new events take a long time to begin, which surprises me because it is not a long book. I still find myself confused while reading because there are an excessive number of characters introduced throughout the book, some relevant and some not so much. In this book, the setting is constantly changing, which can get a little bit complicated. In one chapter, the main character is in a cemetery; in the next, he is in a basement. I have found that every detail in this book matters. If you miss one little detail, you would get confused; therefore, it is important to pay very close attention to anything any of the characters say because it reveals more about each character and more about the plot. I expected this book to be a lot more interesting and to have a better storyline.

Expectations vs. Reality

When the book was first recommended to me, I was told that it was about the day the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. I was expecting to learn more about the historical aspect of that day, regardless of whether it was true or not. Instead, the book turned out to be about the main character traveling the United States and to a fictional island where practicing another fictional religion is forbidden. The narrator travels around to get more information about the atomic bomb, but none of the people he interviews mention anything about it; they either talk about Bokonon or being a Bokononist and or ice-nine. While I truly enjoy this aspect, I would have liked it more if I got more information about the day the atomic bomb dropped. The most significant event that is currently happening up to this point is the main character John meeting Frank Hoenikker’s children. So far, we have met Newt, the youngest son, and Angela, the eldest and only daughter. The main character now knows that all three Hoenikker children have a part of ice-nine, the object that can potentially freeze up the world. John met two of the Hoenikker children on a plane to San Lorenzo to meet the third child, Frank, and to interview Julian Castle because John was writing an article about him. I believe the story in the book is still not at the climax. Therefore, all the information that has been mentioned about San Lorenzo, ice-nine, and the three children is just a build-up in the plot for the big conflict and the ending following it.

Final Thoughts

To be honest, I was left with a strong feeling of distaste and disappointment after having finished Cat's Cradle. First, the story doesn't really have an ending; it is an open-ended book. It is up to one’s imagination to determine the ending, which bothers me because I like a set ending written by the author. Right before the book ended, I was very happy about where the plot was heading; it was finally getting interesting, but then that feeling was completely gone after I read the last page. I was unsatisfied; I was expecting more. Ice-nine infected San Lorenzo, causing it to freeze. In the last two chapters, John meets Bokonon, and Bokonon tells him to become a statue on the tallest mountain in San Lorenzo. It is unknown if John commits suicide then or continues his life; that part was left to the readers to decide. Kurt Vonnegut was a known atheist. Therefore, throughout the entire book, he mocked the Christian religion, which a lot of people believe in. This made me, as a reader, uncomfortable to read what he had to say about the fake religion he has created in Cat’s Cradle.

Conclusion

Kurt Vonnegut completely disregarded religion, beliefs, and the study of science in his book, which displeased me while reading. A lot of the things in the book are just re-imaginings or fictional versions of things that actually exist. The heightening makes it easier to understand what those things really mean. Ice-9 is a stand-in for the atomic bomb and nuclear power. "Papa" Monzano is very similar to many real-life dictators of the time. San Lorenzo is similar to many poor Latin American countries in many ways. The book's philosophy is mainly about nihilism and absurdism. In the end, Cat’s Cradle is a highly imaginative work of satire. It requires a lot of understanding of symbolism and good connection skills. To this day, I still do not understand the deep meaning and symbolism behind it. Personally, I read the book for enjoyment and not to fully analyze it, but to briefly understand the meaning behind it. I came to the conclusion that Cat’s Cradle is about the rejection of truth. Vonnegut often connected science and religion in Cat's Cradle. He characterized science as a form of discovering truth, while he characterized religion as a form of creating lies. Thus, the truth that he created through science was at once a danger to humanity, referring back to ice-nine because it killed everyone.

References:

• Vonnegut, K. (1963). Cat's Cradle. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
• Modern Language Association. (2016). MLA Handbook (8th ed.).