Bokononism says that if there is a god, he is a practical joker, and the destruction of the world is thought of to be the Almighty’s final horrible joke. In one of his last statements, Bokonon states that this God is hardly the all-loving entity he is perceived to be. Someday, someday, this crazy world will come to an end, and our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if, on that sad day, you want to scold our God, why go ahead and scold Him. He’ll just smile and nod. (218) In this same cool manner does Bokonon go about breaking the news that God does not intervene with human affairs, rather it is man who must control his own destiny. Man blinked. “What is the purpose of all of all this?” he asked politely. “Everything must have a purpose?” asked God. “Certainly,” said man. “Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this,” said God. And He went away. (215) While the notion of a practical joking funnyman as a heavenly father may offend some churchgoers, it is Vonnegut’s way of saying that we may be taking our concept of religion too far. Only MAN is sacred in Bokononism, and that may be an aspect left out of organized faith. We may only live once, and wasting our lives preparing for the one hereafter may be a phenomenal waste of time. In conclusion, while some of the events and ideas present in Cat’s Cradle may register as ridiculous and just plain “weird,” it is with these feelings that Vonnegut wished his readers to experience his novel. Only by creating extreme situations and extraordinary theories was Vonnegut able to reproduce the level of absurdity he felt towards society. When a novel simply denouncing God, America, and progress may have been shunned and ignored by the masses, the humorous and witty, yet bitter account of the end of the world present in Cat’s Cradle was able to make an impact. ...
