Ice-Nine

I found that in the second half of Cat’s Cradle, ice-nine posed an interesting issue for the reader. Although ice-nine does not actually exist, it is essentially a form of the atomic bomb on an extreme scale. Although it seemed easy as a reader to be separated from the scene where ice-nine is accidentally released into the ocean near the end of the book, I found it very similar to an even more extreme version of the purposeful dropping of the atomic bomb without knowing its own potential.

I remember my high school teacher explaining that the atomic bomb represented a crucial shift from individualized combat to the power of a single person determining the fate of entire populations by a push of a button, or in this case a blue-white substance. The individuals responsible thus distance themselves from seeing the impact of their own destruction. This is directly applicable to the relationship between ice-nine and both Felix Hoenikker and his children. Felix Hoenikker seems to be aware of his power of creating ice-nine, but is completely disconnected from its possible impact on humanity.  When he finally chooses to reveal his secret to his children right before he dies, Felix Hoenikker is only continuing the inevitable unleashing of the destruction of ice-nine because the children have no idea of its power. When they “divided up the old man’s ice-nine,” after finding him dead they seem to be destined for the disaster that happens later on San Lorenzo (pg. 115). Ironically, the three children hold this substance closely to them, as almost a memory of their father, yet are ignorant of its true impact and its potential for worldwide annihilation. This seems to force the reader to recognize the problems attached to giving a small number of people the power to determine the survival of humanity, or in the real life situation, the ability to drop an atomic bomb.