Kurt Vonnegut

"Cat's Cradle" is Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet's ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist; a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer; and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny.

Cat's Cradle

Tiff Brunson

“I was fired for pessimism. Communism had nothing to do with it.”

"I got him fired," said his wife. "The only piece of real evidence produced against him was a letter I wrote to the New York Times from Pakistan." 

"It said a lot of things," she said, "because I was very upset about how Americans couldn't imagine what it was like to be something else, to be something else and proud of it."

“But there was one sentence they kept coming back to again and again in the loyalty hearing," sighed Minton.  “‘Americans,' " he said, quoting his wife's letter to the Times, “‘are forever searching for love in forms it never takes, in places it can never be. It must have something to do with the vanished frontier.'"

"It was an iron chair a man had been roasted alive in," said Crosby. "He was roasted for murdering his son. 

"Only, after they roasted him," Hazel recalled blandly, "they found out he hadn't murdered his son after all.”

Everybody talks about research and practically nobody in this country's doing it. We're one of the few companies that actually hires men to do pure research. When most other companies brag about their research, they’re talking about industrial hack technicians who wear white coats, work out of cookbooks, and dream up an imnproved windshield wiper for next year's Olds- mobile.”

"Here, and shockingly few other places in this country, men are paid to increase knowledge, to work toward no end but that." 

“That's very generous of General Forge and and Foundry Company.”

“ Nothing generous about it. New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.”

Had I been a Bokononist then, that statement would have made me howl.

“ Dr. Hoenikker used to say that any scientist who couldn't explain to an eight-year-old what he was doing was a charlatan.” 

"Then I'm dumber than an eight-year-old," Miss Pefko mourned. I don't even know what a charlatan is."

'All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies.' Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding fathers of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he is the inventor of Ice-nine, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Will Felix Hoenikker's death wish come true? Will his last, fatal gift to humankind bring about the end that, for all of us, is nigh? Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global apocalypse preys on our deepest fears of witnessing the end and, worse still, surviving it . . . 'The time to read Vonnegut is just when you begin to suspect that the world is not what it appears to be. He is not only entertaining, he is electrocuting. You read him with enormous pleasure because he makes your hair stand on end' The New York Times

里森

“A free-wheeling vehicle . . . an unforgettable ride!”—The New York Times Cat’s Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet’s ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny. A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat’s Cradle is one of the twentieth century’s most important works—and Vonnegut at his very best. “[Vonnegut is] an unimitative and inimitable social satirist.”—Harper’s Magazine “Our finest black-humorist . . . We laugh in self-defense.”—Atlantic Monthly

A Novel

Hannah Yang

cat's cradle is profoundly pessimistic -- as a commentary on human stupidity, it depicts a world where nothing functions or is meaningful (science, politics, religion) and where genuine human connection is pretty much nonexistent. sex is simply a means to continue the species, no longer desirable when the end of the species is definite and near; the groups we normally associate ourselves with (nationality, gender, same occupation, same school, etc) are mere granfaloons, attempts to make meaning where there is none.

in the world vonnegut depicts, what is 'true' doesn't matter; life is built atop a combination of disinterest in pursuing the truth and blatant lies that serve practical purposes (such as bokononism's role in keeping up the morale of people in an entirely impoverished, backwards island). in this aspect, i am probably semi-bokoninist in that i see truth as something instrumentally valuable rather than inherently valuable. i'm not particularly interested in the grand truths of the universe -- i don't think it's possible to live a particularly satisfactory life if you need the truth to be happy; i'd rather just have a functional worldview (to be clear: i don't endorse outright lies or manipulation and if humans do somehow discover an ultimate truth, cool beans. but i'm also not losing sleep over whether or not i really truly have free will, or what particular ethical theory is the most morally correct one ever, or something).

perhaps, as vonnegut seems to suggest, this passive acceptance of the world's many untruths is depressing and mildly catastrophic. but i'd suggest that humans are capable of finding a great deal of meaning in their lives if they're able to see past 'the futility of existence' etc. etc. -- sure, we may never know our true purpose or how the universe works, and perhaps in the grand tapestry of the universe our species constitutes a few unruly stitches that can be torn out at any time, but a lot of people could live happier lives if they allowed themselves to simply appreciate the threads that come together in their own lives. our species, lives, and individual identities may indeed be meaningless to the universe, but they need not be meaningless to us. 

so, i cannot agree with vonnegut's cynicism, particularly in the 'human connections' department. at the same time, i can't deny that cat's cradle is a thought-provoking book whose prose is also remarkably accessible. i think it's worth reading, but i hope that its influence is simply to make you think more critically about our world's institutions and social codes and belief systems, not to become a cynical critic of our world's institutions and social codes and belief systems.

Delaney LaFalce

Bouke van der Bijl

Matthew Royal

A young writer decides to interview the children of a scientist primarily responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb

Gillian Rose

I knew this going in, but it was good to have it confirmed: I do not like Vonnegut!

I found this absolutely ridiculous. I get that it was a criticism on religion, but there was a way of doing so without employing racism at times and misogyny! Just a bad reading experience.

Rohan Uddin

What a funny, simple and crazy book! This is my first Vonnegut, and I must admit, it is wonderful in its execution of deadpan humor and satirical situations. Loved everything, especially the framing device : "The Books of Bokonon", and the self created myth behind the atom bomb and the City of San Lorenzo. This is too good.

Prashanth Srivatsa

Absolutely hilarious. Highly recommended.

In Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut invites us to think deeply about religion, ‘purpose’, and the social webs we weave in daily life.

Taylor Griffin

Arun Khanna

The goal of good satirical work is to make us question the way the world works in an entertaining way. With Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut succeeds in this task with flying colors. He makes us question (or at least ponder to rethink) everything from religion to science. 

Within his patently absurd religion, Bokononism, there are some fascinating nuggets that make you question the establishment of organized religion. The whole idea of Bokononism purposely forbidden by the residents of San Lorenzo being part of its appeal reminds us of the early adherents of Christianity. The fact that one of the central tenets is that the entire book is full of lies (foma) is comical but does strike a chord in the modern take of religion (especially when viewing other people's religions).

Vonnegut also makes us question what many believe to be the opposite of religion, science. Felix Hoenikker, who obviously is brilliant and insanely intelligent, seemingly invents Ice-9 on a whim after being asked a question from a Marine general. He seems completely unaware of the consequences of his action. Vonnegut seems to strongly dislike "pure research," which is research that is completely devoid of potential ripples (one could also use the modern example of AI research as a substitute for Ice-9). 

This book was an entertaining read and one that I look forward to rereading in the future.

Alex Ker

Easy read and much-needed break from non-fiction. As always, I appreciate the precision of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s dark wit and satire on religion, politics, humanity that distort, interrogate, accentuate our version of reality--sharing a Dystopian that is alarming, far-fetched, yet populated by self-aware and penetrating caricatures reminding us of people we might have known.

Tilde C

Little did I know so many wise and clever quotes attributed to Kurt Vonnegut were things he put in the mouth of his bizarre cult leader character. Almost made a bokononist out of me.

This was fun, though I still prefer Slaughterhouse-Five.

magic world of kurt. how much is it of ours to keep?

Dana M

juno

i had no idea what this book was about before i read it and i still don’t honestly. im not even sure how i would rate this so we’re going with three as a happy middle number.

Hans Gerwitz

This is an easy read and thought-provoking if you let it be. Which might pale in comparison to Vonnegut's works that leave you no such choice, but still stands out from the brain candy of most science fiction.

Asmaa Mohurji

i've been looking for the term "granfalloon" my entire life and i didn't even know it 

G.H. Plaag 

Omar AlHashmi

** spoiler alert **
           4.5/5

Pretty interesting read to be honest, I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first one. This book took me so long to read, what with the pressure that I am facing during this semester. However the beginning didn't help that much as it felt a bit confusing. But as I kept on reading it made more and more sense. 

All in all I like the writing style of Vonnegut which is what made me pick up this book after reading Slaughter House five. However I did not appreciate the disjointed plot, it was all over the place. One point the writer is interviewing people to write a book about a scientist and the next he is running around on this weird island. Don't get me wrong, I loved the part which involved San Lorenzo and Bokonism. However I still can't shake off that feeling that there was something off about the book. 

With all that said, I will certainly try and read more of his books, though not anytime soon.... my brain needs a break from Vonnegut.

Trever

Certainly not as fully-formed as  Slaughterhouse-Five, but more freewheeling if you're into that. They're two sides of the same coin, but it's a weird coin at that.

Nicholas Laurie

Ermmm difficult book to rate. Felt stupid reading it a lot of the time. Literary porn for 60’s counter culture young, to fill in the time between listens to a love supreme. I felt like a lot of shit was going over my head but it was probably just that things hit different in the 60s than they do now. A lot of this isnt all that shocking or weird anymore? Religion sucks? an idiot brings about the end of the world? A familiar tune I guess 

Erfan Abedi

«به نام خدا» 

خلاصه‌ی داستان:
داستان درباره‌ی فردی هست که می‌گه: «جونا صدای‌م کنید.»؛ جونا اسم دیگه‌ی یونس نبی هست، کسی که برخلاف قهرمان داستان «موبی دیک» که نهنگ رو شکار کرد، توسّط نهنگ خورده شد؛ و با این‌کارش، داره می‌گه که اون رؤیای آمریکایی که آمریکا کشور صلح‌ه و خیلی وضعیت خوبی داره و این‌ها مهمل‌ه؛ اوضاع دقیقاً برعکسه. راوی داستان [وقتی که داستان شروع می‌شه] فردی مسیحی و نویسنده هست که می‌خواد داستانی درباره‌ی زندگی دکتر فلیکس هوینیکر، یکی از پدران بمب اتم بنویسه؛ داستان درباره‌ی اتّفاقاتی هست که در طی مسیری که برای نوشتن کتاب براش پیش می‌آد که در انتها موضوع کتاب‌ش هم عوض می‌شه.

نقد:
کتاب طنزهای خیلی جالبی داره و خب، مترجم برای رعایت‌کردن چهارچوب‌ها معنی دقیق بعضی ‌فحش‌ها رو ننوشته که اگه کسی مقداری فیلم آمریکایی/انگلیسی دیده باشه متوجّه می‌شه. مثلاً وقتی که یکی از کاراکترها به‌هرچیزی صفت «مزخرف» می‌ده؛ یا مثلاً وقتی که اچ. لاو کراسبی حرف می‌زنه که توش خیلی واژه‌ی «پفیوز» دیده می‌شه. [:‌))]
ونه‌گات خیلی خوب بازی‌هایی که دولت‌ها سرمردم‌شون در می‌آرن تا سرشون رو از کارهای ناشایست خودشون منحرف کنن و سرشون رو به چیزدیگه‌ای سرگرم کنند رو نشون داده؛ همین‌طور تابوهایی که همه‌ی مردم دارن‌ش، امّا برای ادامه دادن اون [بخونید موش‌وگربه‌بازی] تابوها رو نمی‌شکنن. [که در این‌مورد مذهب باکونونیسم هست] مثال خوب‌ش بازی‌هایی هست که ایالات متّحده سر بن‌لادن با مردم‌‌ش در آورد.
اسفار باکونون چیز خیلی‌جالبی هست؛ توش بعضی چیزها رو گفته که خیلی‌ها جرئت ندارن بگن، اگه وجود داشت می‌تونست یه‌کتابِ فلسفی درست‌وحسابی باشه؛ مثلاً دروغ‌های بی‌ضرر رو بی‌ایراد دونسته.
ونه‌گات در جای دیگه‌ای از دروغ‌گفتن برای رسیدن به‌ عشق می‌نویسه؛ کاری که من به‌شخصه غلط می‌دونم‌ش؛ جایی که راوی به‌ مونا می‌گه که مذهب نداره و برای رسیدن به [لذّت جنسی از طریق مونا] به باکونونیسم روی می‌آره؛ و وقتی که مونا [که یه‌جورایی فاحشه‌ی باکونونیسم بوده] بعد از فرا رسیدن آخرالزمان، خودکشی می‌کنه [که البته حق هم داشت، زندگی‌ش توی مسائل جنسی خلاصه می‌شده] روی راوی تأثیر زیادی ایجاد نمی‌شه، فقط همون‌موقع مقداری گریه می‌کنه؛ خوب مشخّصه، از عشقی که با تحریک جنسی از روی تبلیغ سن‌لورنزو ایجاد شده، توقع خاصّی نمی‌شه داشت؛ البتّه، مرگ مونا مساوی می‌شه با مرگ نسل بشریت، دلیل‌ش واضحه، چون دیگه زنی نیست که قابلیت باردار شدن رو داشته باشه و قبل‌ش هم مونا از رابطه‌ی جنسی با راوی پرهیز می‌کنه که مبادا بچّه‌دار بشن که این‌حسّ رو توی من ایجاد کرد که مونا دوست‌داشته نسل بشر منقرض شه. [حداقل توی سن‌لورنزو]
چیزی که من از دیدگاه ونه‌گات برداشت کردم، این بوده که مرگ بشریت با همین بمب اتم هست؛ چرا که همون آدمی که پدر بمب اتم بود، پدر یخ نُه هم بود که با سقوط هواپیما و پرت‌شدن جسدِ آغشته به یخ‌ نُهِ «پاپا لورنزو»، آخرالزمان شروع شد.
به‌نظرِ من سن‌لورنزو یه‌جور کاپیتالیسمِ دوطبقه داشت؛ طبقه‌ی پایین مردم عادّیِ سن‌لورنزو که در فلاکت به‌سر می‌بردن و طبقه‌ی بالا افراد دولتی/نزدیک به‌دولت، که شما هم می‌بینید که خدمتکار فرانک، استن‌لی، تنها فرد بومیِ چاقی بود که راوی می‌بینه.
با توجّه به این‌که شخص ونه‌گات خودش رو تابع خیلی از عرفان‌ها ]مثلاً آتئیسم که می‌گه خدا وجود نداره[ هست و درجایی از کتاب‌ش اشاره می‌کنه که همیشه به پشتیبانی قدرت برتری نیاز داریم، یه‌مقدار این قضیه پارادوکس شده برای من.
نمره بدم؟ خوب، دفعه اوّل‌م هست، خیلی سخته. :‌)) اگه غیرمنصفانه هم بود بگین به‌م. :د

۷ از ۱۰.

Bowie 

My second KV novel after Slaughterhouse V - didn’t grip me the way S5 did. I think I’m missing a lot of context via WWII & the satire there but I can appreciate that it’s there. 

Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to humanity. For he is the inventor of ice-nine, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. Writer Jonah's search for its whereabouts leads him to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to an island republic in the Caribbean where the religion of Bokononism is practised, to love and to insanity. Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction is a funny and frightening satire on the end of the world and the madness of mankind.

Emma Thuresson

Krista M.

Funny-Fantastic-Dark
Really funny and fresh story. I enjoyed Bokononism a lot, especially the last rites with the mud. I thought it was actually really beautiful even if it was meant to kind of poke fun at religion. I liked the theme of fate finding a way to bind people together for a certain purpose (which may never be known to those people) is really cool and very true to life. There are people all around us whose lives we affect and interact with everyday who we will never know. This was a quick read with an engaging plot and while I did feel like it was spiraling out of control it was still a very interesting and unique story. 

Toni Turner

I love Kurt's wroting so much. This story just escalated in the most unexpecred ways. I didnt read the synopsis so I knew nothing while reading it which is my favorite way to go into novels. I definitely want to read more of his stuff.

Cat's Cradle

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