Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

The novel Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is about the events leading up to the end of the world. The main character, John, is writing a book about the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. To do this, he decides to interview the children of one of the scientists who had worked on the bomb, Felix Hoenikker. His research for his book leads him to the Island of San Lorenzo, introduces him to the religion of Bokononism, and eventually leads to the end of the world by another invention of Felix Hoenikker, called Ice-9. This novel is written in the first person, from John’s point of view, as a book he writes after the major events of the story.

One of the major themes of this novel is that no one is truly good or evil. Throughout this book many characters make mistakes, which eventually lead to the end of the world. For example, while working on the atomic bomb and Ice-9, Felix Hoenikker seems not to care about the consequences of his actions, and is only interested in the scientific discovery. Although he is not purposely causing these consequences, he does nothing to stop them. Another example is when Felix Hoenikker’s children discover Ice-9, they decide to try to use it to improve their lives, instead of destroying it. Although this choice would lead to the end of the world, it was not evil.

Outside of dialogue, Kurt Vonnegut does not use many rhetorical devices. Some examples of rhetorical devices are metaphors, such as “The question echoed back through time - woeful, lost.” He also uses similes, such as “the pinch-faced child spoke with the timbre and conviction of a kazoo,"

I enjoyed this book very much. I found that it was very well written and original. I enjoyed the story, and connected with the characters. I would strongly recommend this book.