Coping with Reality

I held the belief that even though Bokonon clearly states that everything in The Books of Bokonon is a lie, Bokononists simply ignored this fact.  The San Lorenzans could only live happily because they rejected reality and made the lies of Bokononism their reality.  Jonah’s warning about Bokononism, however, rings true, “anybody unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either” (6).  Understanding this warning is the essential requirement to be a Bokononist, so contrary to my initial belief, none of the San Lorenzans ignore reality but live happily while coping with it.

For example, the most faithful Bokononist we know, Mona, in the moments before her death, tells Jonah that Bokonon himself would never take his own advice, because even “he [knows] it was worthless” (273).  Her awareness of the lies of Bokononism means that she is not truly ignorant of the misfortunes of the world.  Despite knowing all of this, she chose to follow Bokonon’s final instructions.  Her question to Jonah is a pivotal moment, because it reveals an understanding of reality shared by all Bokononists and not just Mona.  “ ‘Would you wish any of these alive again, if you could?’ “ (274).  She kills herself after Jonah fails to answer her within thirty seconds, because Jonah cannot reasonably answer that he would bring the dead back into a doomed world.  In the same way, Bokononists realize that they cannot cope with the world of ice-nine and choose to accept Bokonon’s lie that God wants to kill all of them.

Bokononism as a coping mechanism and the horrors of reality appear to be in dynamic tension.  The tougher reality becomes, the more people appear to rely on Bokononism to provide them with some happiness.  But once the world freezes over with ice-nine, no amount of boko-maru or fomas can help the San Lorenzos cope with reality.  As a result, they choose death.