Illusions, hopeless humans, and cocky America

As I came to the end of Cat's Cradle, author Kurt Vonnegut left me with several new concepts to think about. Throughout the book, Vonnegut has used his characters and storyline to comment on mankind and their plights in order to strive towards a more modern and perfect world. However, the perfection does not always prove more than a nice illusion. For example. when Jonah checks in to the Casa Mono, his room had air-conditioning and "there were fresh flowers" at his bedside table, yet his bed went unmade and the room had no other amenities in it (156). The "flowers" serve as a symbol for the nice, perfect exterior while beneath the false reality, something goes missing and it seems empty once the illusion melts away. Vonnegut displays this false reality yet again after the storm hit San Lorenzo and the survivors sit in the remains of Frank Hoenikker's house. They all act pleasant and carry on every day activities, yet Jonah notes that underneath the "cozy conversation" the "nagging SOS transmitter" reminded him of the reality of their situation (277). Through these examples, Vonnegut indirectly characterizes humans as weak creatures who always need to feel good about their situation, even if the end of the world goes on around them. This challenges humans, especially me, to look beyond the surface to see the deeper and more realistic world. This more realistic world, Vonnegut also suggests, only exists under a certain condition. Ambassador Minton realizes this as well as he gives his wreath dedication speech to a crowds of many different people. He recognizes that for a more realistic and prosperous world to exist, humans must make a concentrated and ceaseless effort to "reduce the stupidity and viciousness" of mankind (255). through his urgent tone, he indirectly characterizes mankind as ignorant and prone to repeating history. Yet although Ambassador Minton sees hope for humans, Bokonon foils him as "'nothing'" can a man hope for after taking past history into account (245). I tend to agree more with Minton as I see our past history as a learning and growing opportunity rather than a foreshadowing of our planets ultimate future. If humans can learn from the past and apply the knowledge gained from the experience to the future, then this world will prosper. However, if humans remain ignorant to the past and refuse to learn, the Bokonon will have made an accurate prediction of the fate of the human race. A final insight I gained from reading Cat's Cradle came from Claire Minton. Claire suggests that "'People are hated" and that "Americans…were foolish" in thinking that no one hated them, yet she received punishment for her brutally honest opinion (98). During this summer, the olympics often bring that feeling to every American home. American pride soars and with every gold medal, our country believes ten more that we stand as the greatest. If Claire Minton sat and watched the Olympics, she would cheer evenly for every victory and mourn every loss. Claire's words have shown me the ridiculousness in some Americans that they believe themselves better than the rest. Through Vonnegut's masterful novel, I have gained insights about not only myself but about human nature as well.