Guide Note

Cat's Cradle is a satirical science-fiction novel by American writer and novelist Kurt Vonnegut, originally published in 1963.

Planning to write a book about the bombing of Hiroshima, the book's narrator ("John") follows his research to the life and work of one Felix Hoenniker, a physicist who has created the world's most deadly substance, ice-nine (water that freezes at room temperature). However, the story ultimately takes him to the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo, a failed utopia where the locals practice an outlawed religion that may hold the secret to the mystery of life's purpose.

The novel also introduced Vonnegut's fictional religion, Bokononism, to the world. The "religion" is actually a philosophy that insists that all religions (including Bokononism) are lies, but if one believes in and adheres to those lies, one can attain true happiness.

In 2005, Leonardo DiCaprio's production company optioned the novel for development into a feature film, and in 2008, a New York company produced a calypso musical version of the book.

Fast Facts

1. Date of publication: 1963
2. Publisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston
3. Themes: the perils of the nuclear arms race, the functions of religion
4. Title refers to a string game played in numerous different cultures
5. Character of Felix Hoenniker is a composite of real-life physicists
6. Nominated for Hugo Award for best science fiction or fantasy novel
7. Novel introduced Vonnegut's fictional religion of Bokononism

1. "Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."
2. "Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything."
3. "Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, 'Why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand."
4. "Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way."