Cat’s Cradle

Cat’s Cradle

by

Kurt Vonnegut

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Cat’s Cradle makes teaching easy.
Julian Castle is an inhabitant of San Lorenzo. He made millions early in life and lived a rebellious, hedonistic lifestyle. At age forty, Julian built the island’s only hospital, the House of Hope and Mercy in the Jungle. He provides medical care to the islanders, but is not without his absurdist streak. As his son, Philip, relates, he once shined his torch on locals killed by plague and, giggling, told Philip: “someday all this will be yours.” Like the other islanders, he is a Bokononist.

Julian Castle Quotes in Cat’s Cradle

The Cat’s Cradle quotes below are all either spoken by Julian Castle or refer to Julian Castle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Science and Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 73 Quotes

“Oh, yes. Anyway, one sleepless night I stayed up with Father while he worked. It was all we could do to find a live patient to treat. In bed after bed after bed we found dead people.

“And Father started giggling,” Castle continued.

“He couldn’t stop. He walked out into the night with his flashlight. He was still giggling. He was mak­ing the flashlight beam dance over all the dead people stacked outside. He put his hand on my head, and do you know what that marvelous man said to me?” asked Castle.

“Nope.”

“‘Son,’ my father said to me, ‘someday this will all be yours.’”

Related Characters: John (speaker), Philip Castle (speaker), Julian Castle
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 83 Quotes

“He was in the S.S. for fourteen years. He was a camp physician at Auschwitz for six of those years.”

“Doing penance at the House of Hope and Mercy is he?”

“Yes,” said Castle, “and making great strides, too, saving lives right and left.”

“Good for him.”

“Yes. If he keeps going at his present rate, work­ing night and day, the number of people he’s saved will equal the number of people he let die—in the year 3010.”

Related Characters: John (speaker), Julian Castle (speaker), Dr. Schlichter von Koenigswald
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Cat’s Cradle LitChart as a printable PDF.
Cat’s Cradle PDF

Julian Castle Quotes in Cat’s Cradle

The Cat’s Cradle quotes below are all either spoken by Julian Castle or refer to Julian Castle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Science and Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 73 Quotes

“Oh, yes. Anyway, one sleepless night I stayed up with Father while he worked. It was all we could do to find a live patient to treat. In bed after bed after bed we found dead people.

“And Father started giggling,” Castle continued.

“He couldn’t stop. He walked out into the night with his flashlight. He was still giggling. He was mak­ing the flashlight beam dance over all the dead people stacked outside. He put his hand on my head, and do you know what that marvelous man said to me?” asked Castle.

“Nope.”

“‘Son,’ my father said to me, ‘someday this will all be yours.’”

Related Characters: John (speaker), Philip Castle (speaker), Julian Castle
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 83 Quotes

“He was in the S.S. for fourteen years. He was a camp physician at Auschwitz for six of those years.”

“Doing penance at the House of Hope and Mercy is he?”

“Yes,” said Castle, “and making great strides, too, saving lives right and left.”

“Good for him.”

“Yes. If he keeps going at his present rate, work­ing night and day, the number of people he’s saved will equal the number of people he let die—in the year 3010.”

Related Characters: John (speaker), Julian Castle (speaker), Dr. Schlichter von Koenigswald
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis: