A satirical novel, a true classic.
Cat’s Cradle ponders on spirituality, science, and purpose, and it is definitely a difficult book to put down. As I read each page I dreaded nearing the end. It is a book I will want to read again and again, because I will want to relive it over and over.
In its truest of form, this book is a story and captures what storytelling should be. I do not want to give away too many details about the plot, in fear of ruining its carefully ordered timeline. Yet, it narrates the story of John, a freelance writer who travels in search of factual information for his biography on the late Dr. Felix Hoenikker, a man who also happens to be one ‘of the fathers of the atomic bomb’ that was dropped on Hiroshima. An apocalyptic novel of sorts, the doctor’s three peculiar children each own an element that could lead to the destruction of planet Earth.
Vonnegut’s blindingly evident satire throughout the novel makes it a light-read, despite its focus on serious themes such as religion, truth, science. The dark humour compels one to pause, laugh, and reread. Its philosophical content is written in a sarcastic way that is proof true brilliance.
In this novel, Vonnegut argues that lies are the basis of all beliefs. A nihilist is a nihilist because he or she believes a set of lies.
Followers also believe they handpicked the belief that most suits their personal comfort. Nonetheless, everything is based on lies. Perhaps this is why the novel begins with a man searching for truth – for facts on what happened that day in Hiroshima. In his search John encounters many people, and soon digresses to focus instead on the mad scientist. He falls victim to the trap that all mankind finds itself in –the biased perception of reality that is ultimately based on falsehood.
Hoenikker, the scientist, is introduced through the tales of others, as a curious man. When told that “science has known sin,” he asks, “What is sin?” He is curiously disengaged from human emotion; he witnesses his daughter crying on the floor after being punched in the stomach by her brother, and instead turns his back and continues living in his own bubble. Somehow, Hoenikker has chosen to believe in science, and to remain indifferent to human interactions.
This novel makes one wonder of the lies we have chosen to perceive as truth.
By Sana Ashraf
