This is a course on truth, lies, and being wary of words on a page. As I read Cat’s Cradle, the following line fired synapses in my brain even as I strained my glazed eyes and tried hard not to fall asleep. “Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either” (5).
Of course, since I’d like to believe I’m smart, I read Jonah’s words and thought instantly, I understand. Vonnegut starts out with that quote to make us believe him, to make us say oh, I’m smart, I understand and I will understand this book, and squash the part of ourself that disagrees, because that’s the part that won’t understand.
But really? Should I understand? Is it plausible that so many people in San Lorenzo practice this religion of lies? Maybe. Most organized & useful religions have inconsistencies. Many useful things are founded on lies because vivid and well-explained lies are so much easier to believe than shaky and implausible truths.
Or, has that line, and that implausible group of loyal Bokononists been placed in the book to remind us that Cat’s Cradle is a work of fiction, that the whole story is founded on lies, and that it’s Vonnegut’s job to be a good enough writer that he can persuade us to believe what he says? Is that the real mindfuck? Are we being manipulated to believe in Bokononism and its followers through nice language and careful description, when in reality it is all bullshit and Vonnegut’s hoping, at some point, we will come back to that first sentence and understand?
I don't believe that Vonnegut is trying to insult us or his characters for aligning with Bokononism. He presents Bokononism as the most honest, distilled, and ultimately necessary form of religion. It's honesty lies in the fact that it claims no objective power, but rather transparently offers lies, and suggests that maybe they could be helpful. Bokononism is distilled in the sense that every tenet and Calypso is aimed at making people's lives feel more meaningful: there is no empty dogma or ambiguous ritual. Finally, though I feel Vonnegut lamenting that this may be a doomed quest, Cat's Cradle testifies that in a pointless, lawless, Godless world, we readers have to create purpose and significance. Some form of Bokononism is necessary, because in order to live, we must lie to ourselves every day that we reasons to do so.
ReplyDeleteI took the “Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either” line combined with that "Nothing in this book is true" as more of a testament to Vonnegut's view on religions: Yes, they may be lies, but they do serve a purpose, and admitting that Bokononism is a lie is just a way of making this view more clear to the reader. And I feel like after having read the entire story, this is made a lot more evident to the reader after having read the parts that take place in San Lorenzo. In the context of this class, I think instead of an Owl Creek scenario where the author is actively deceiving us, the deception is more in the content and ideas of Cat's Cradle.
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