Cats_Cradle_Literary_Analysis

“Nothing in this book is true.” In Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, science and religion compete throughout the book in order to become the overall belief in society by finding salvation in lies, danger in technological advancements, and through the comparison of the two as they compete with each other. Vonnegut does this in order to express his views on society. “If you want to find a granfalloon, remove the skin from a toy balloon.” (95) Within parts of society, there is reliance on religion. People are looking to find answers and hope to help them keep striving and their answer comes through a faith. Kurt Vonnegut displays within his book Cat’s Cradle that religion is a dependent part of some peoples lives but is ultimately lies. Through the first quote he is explaining that if the skin of a toy balloon is peeled away, nothing is left behind, as he is comparing to what happens when you try to find the depth within religion. As shown in the novel, the religion of Bokonon uses salvation in lies in order to prove that society will find hope in the things that make them feel better . Basically, it is there to tell people exactly what they want to hear and overall is more convincingly useful to a person. In the perspective of the book, religion is based on harmless untruths which is the opposite of science’s main purpose. “She hated people who thought too much. At the moment, she struck me as an appropriate representative for almost all mankind.” (33) This is an example of how there is a created separate society which is religion. The fact the she is scared of people who thought too much is the greatest representation of why people turn to religion. Experiencing that there is comfort to be seeked by simply following a belief system intrigues a vast amount of people. Which ultimately is giving yourself satisfaction instead of embracing the plain truth and the consequences it brings. “It was the belief of Bokonon that good societies could be built only by pitting good against evil, and by keeping the tension between the two high at all times.” (102) This quote shows how in order for there to be good there has to be evil. This is an underlying basis for religion because in order for religion to look good, science must show its truth or in the case, its evil. Although science may display itself as scary to some, it is what leads to the shape of the world and the society itself. Religion may as well be the perfect escape in some peoples perspective, but as does science, it also has its consequences which will be revealed to show that neither one can finish on top. The many advancements of science can be seen today through the cure for diseases as well as the many technologies that we are surrounded by. As science is a good thing and can solve many problems, it can also have consequences when it goes unexpectedly wrong or when it is placed in the wrong hands. A lot of the time we can be told something about science, and not comprehend it which ultimately leads us to question the nature of “truth” that surrounds scientific facts. “Any scientist that cannot explain to an 8 year old what he is doing is a charlatan.” (33) A charlatan is somebody who talks complete and utter BS, when in reality they know nothing. This then makes every science-y thing we have ever heard very sketchy and questionable, especially if we do not completely understand what is being said. Science also can have great advancements that all in all could be amazing for a while and then have deadly consequences. Two examples of this are the fact of ice-nine being placed in the wrong hands, and ultimately ending the whole world as it started out as a great advancement for all marines.