I think Cat’s Cradle is a very interesting book. Well, our discussion in the Socratic circle allowed me to really understand what Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Cat’s Cradle, is about and how it relate to postmodernism. Postmodernists rejected modernist’s ideals of rationality and a central point. They tend to focus on abstract and individualism. For example, in chapter 76 when Julian Castle questioned Newt’s painting, Newt answered, “It means whatever it means” (165). The painting Newt drew takes on different meaning through the view of people. His painting is abstract. It does not have a central meaning or a focus object. It all depends on the person to see and comprehend what the painting means to them. Furthermore, when Angela played the clarinet, John “did not expect the depth, the violence, and the almost intolerable beauty of the disease” (180). The only way for Angela to express her real feelings was through her clarinet. Unlike modern, the music that Angela played can be interpreted into different ways. She did not have to play a depressing song to allow her emotion to show. It is her way of being unique and abstract. In addition, Newt explained to John that “no wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat’s cradle is nothing but a bunch of X’s between someone’s hands, and little kids look and look and look at all those X’s…” and they find no cat nor cradle (165). No matter how hard someone looks at a cat’s cradle none of both can not be found. The X’s does not seem to form some kind of picture. It is up to the observer to interpret the cat’s cradle into his understanding. Whatever he sees and wishes to understand from it is all up to him. Like the cat’s cradle, life is something is endless and does not have a define meaning to it. Therefore, people search for other meanings that will give them reasons to what life is and more understanding of the world. Bokononism allowed the people to find the purpose of life.
