Last Rites

            I would like to examine in this post the last rites of the Bokononist religion, when applied to “Papa” Monzano. First of all, the comedy of the president who has been hanging people for following Bokonon admitting he is Bokononist with such vehemence exemplifies the humor Vonnegut applies to such situations. What better way to demonstrate the fact that the San Lorenzan society and religion is based on lies than reveal with such hilarity, as “Papa” yells “‘Get out, you stinking Christian,’” that the leader of the witch-hunt is himself part of the rebellion.

            Furthermore, this allows Vonnegut to describe the death rites of the Bokononist religion, which reveals much of the manipulation that was created when Bokonon and McCabe came up with the idea to lift the San Lorenzans out of their depressive state. When I first read this scene, the patronizing tone of the death rites struck me, as if they were created to comfort a child. For instance, part of the intonations goes, “‘The only way I can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud that didn’t even get to sit up and look around…I got so much, and most mud got so little’” (221). The San Lorenzans are treated like children, and although these lies have been created to protect them, knowing the truth and hearing the lies makes the reader question whether Bokonon and McCabe made the moral correct decision in deceiving them. Further on in the rites, they chant, “‘Now mud lies down again and goes to sleep,’” again invoking a lie that children are told when they experience death. Although the purpose of these lies is to create a better reality for the San Lorenzans, when they are explicitly said to “Papa” Monzano, Vonnegut forces the reader to realize exactly how ridiculous it is to treat grown adults as if they have never grown beyond age 8. And yet, “Papa” Monzano is happy and peaceful as he accepts his death. Throughout the entire novel, there is a tension between truth and lies, and a question about whether lying to create a better reality is morally wrong. This scene, examined in close detail, brings that debate to light, and forces the reader to decide whether comforting lies are better than a harsh and depressing truth.