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
At sunrise, Frank drives John to “Papa” so that John can get his blessing. On the way, John admires Mount McCabe, comparing it to the hump of a whale. Frank says that, as far as he knows, nobody has climbed to the mount. They talk about Bokononism; Frank says that the only thing sacred to the religion is “man.”
The “whale” comparison is one of a few allusions to Moby Dick in the novel (e.g. John’s suggestion that he be called Jonah in the opening chapter). Moby Dick, interestingly, was called a genuine absurdist novel by Albert Camus. It seems less that “man” is “sacred” in Bokononism, and more that man is its only real ingredient.
Themes
