So far I think Cat’s Cradle seems to be a very interesting book, different from that of 1984 and Brave New World. Both of the other books we have read describe a futuristic society noticeably different from our world today. Cat’s Cradle however seems to be written closely after the atomic bombs being dropped, and has a viewpoint into the past.
Despite a different setting, Cat’s Cradle still exhibits many postmodernist themes and views. One thing that quickly caught my attention was the idea that people are arranged into different social groups, which in Cat’s Cradle is called a Karass. The author says, “We bokononists believe that humanity is organized into teams, teams that do God's will without ever discovering what they are doing. Such a team is called a Karass..." This goes along with the idea that we join a group or faction based on who we are most alike and feel comfortable with.
Also, the part I found most important, was Dr. Hoenikker's phrase towards the end of chapter six, which he follows his invention of the atomic bomb with "Science now knows sin," and then goes on to ask "what is sin?" Hoenikker seems to have no moral concerns, and shows a lack of interest in the reason for why he is doing it. They go onto explain that he was allowed to do pure research, “We’re on the few companies that actually hires men to do pure research.. men are paid to increase, to work toward no end but that.” This is a very postmodernist idea and goes along with the thought that science does not unravel a universal truth, but is just part of narratives. Overall, Cat’s Cradle shows a lot of postmodernist ideas and I am looking forward to reading more.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Well, first of all your title caught my eye. I always spell it wrong too. I don't know how you spell it, but I always spell it as "craddle" and then spell check hammers me on it. So, I agree with you when you say that Cat's Cradle is "different from that of 1984 and Brave New World...and has a viewpoint into the past". This is a nice change. It is a lot less dark than the last two books we've read. The Bokononist idea of a karass fits in perfectly with the postmodern notion of people joining groups in which they are most alike. I also like your idea that science does not unravel universal truth, but even if it did, it does not help people feel better about their lives. This book is full of postmodern ideas, and it will be fun to uncover a lot more of them.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very good blog and i really think your comparisons were very much so on topic. One part i liked was how yu did just ocus on thecomparison between Cat's Cradle and Postmodernism, but you broden your thought and when you also compared it to 1984 and Brave New World, it really go me thinking. The time a book is meant to be writtenreally singnifies a lot of the tone ofthe story and it allows you to realtethe sotry to that time and events that occured in that era. The point that you brought up about Dr. Hoenikker and how he questioned what sin was was a very descriptive ad helpful for me. I thought your blog was written very nicely and clearly so that i was able to understand and comprehend it very weel.
ReplyDeleteAright Combs I agree when you said this book is different than the other books we have read this year due to the different time periods when the settiing takes place. I also concur with your idea of the "karass" thing and actually I included that in my blog as well. what I thought that was especially eye opening was your comment on "what is sin?" and how science can only reveal truth in naratives but not real life. This is so true and makes me think about how evolutionists can really believe what they belive. Anyways good job as usual.
ReplyDeleteHey, Combs! I just read the comment you left on my blog and I figured I would cruise on over here and return the favor. And I'm glad I did! :D
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog; I agree with everything you said. I like your mentioning how the setting of this novel is different from the other novels. I hadn't really thought about the relationship between Cat's Cradle and our previous reads, but now I am interested in seeing just how much this book will end up differing--as well as complementing--1984 & BNW.
I also liked how you described the connection between karasses and Postmodernism. I mentioned it in passing in my blog, but yours actually analyzed and an articulate way.
So, very nice blog; entertaining and interesting to read and the first blog I've read including my own that did not have any typos! Or perhaps I just didn't notice them... Either way: Bravo!