Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cat’s Cradle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Science and Morality
Religion
Governance, Politics, and Nationhood
Absurdity and Meaninglessness
Summary
Analysis
The group finish cleaning up “Papa” Monzano’s bedroom. They still need to burn the bodies but decide to wait till after the “Hundred Martyrs to Democracy ceremony.” They hide Dr. Koenigswald in a clothes closet.
The situation quickly descends into farce. The most devastating material known to humankind is on the brink of being released, but outside there is a ceremony celebrating the sacrifice of 100 San Lorenzians in service of “good.”
Themes
Angela, Newt, and Frank talk about how they divided up Dr. Hoenikker’s ice-nine on the day he died; at the time, “there was no talk of morals.” They carefully put pieces of ice-nine into three Mason jars. The dead dog, says Frank, was put in the oven: “it was the only thing to do.” John quotes Bokonon: “History! Read it and weep!”
Angela’s quote neatly sums up the central message of the book: there is no talk of morals. Bokonon’s quote, too, is an encapsulation of the book’s message: the history of humanity is the history of suffering.
Themes
