Two Worlds Repel

In Cat’s Cradle, the scientific world (Ilium) in New York and the religious world (San Lorenzo) in the Caribbean are developed so physically far apart that we clearly understand how different these lifestyles are. The two ‘worlds’ never come together and never mix which indicates that those living by the ‘foma’ of lies in San Lorenzo and the others following the basis of science in Ilium do not see eye to eye. As Jonah makes his way from Ilium to San Lorenzo, he moves from a very methodological society where for every question there is a scientific answer to a society where all answers come from a belief in a higher power.

            In The Things They Carried, O’Brien also demonstrates the dissociation between war and peace by portraying the negative reactions of mixing home with battle. Not only does O’Brien revisit the field where Kiowa died, he also brings his daughter with him. He exposes her to the memories of fear, violence, and loss, which result in an unfavorable integration of the two worlds where Kathleen feels uncomfortable. Additionally, Tim has a hard time leaving the war stories outside of home. Every time the memories of war knock on his door, he lets them in. Kathleen says, “Some dumb thing happens a long time ago and you can’t ever forget it.” (pg175) . Tim also acknowledges his inability to leave the war behind when he says, “The bad stuff never stops happening: it lives in its own dimension, replaying itself over and over.” These ‘bad things’ that branched from the war are brought into Tim’s home and ‘contaminate’ the peaceful asylum that his home is supposed to be. When this happens, he knows that the sanity he is supposed to gain from being at home is taken away by the failure to detach the two ‘worlds’.

            Both O’Brien and Vonnegut created a situation in which their characters turn to a higher power or good luck charm as a support system. In Cat’s Cradle, the natives of San Lorenzo turn to Bokonon as a ‘God’, or the principles of Bokononism as means of guidance and strength. Similarly, in the war, the soldiers carried sentimental items that reminded them of home – gave them a reason to fight. In both of these worlds, the characters are able to believe, have faith, and look up to or fight for someone greater. Without these sentiments of love and strength, the soldiers would have less to carry but a greater burden, and the natives would be lost with no sign pointing them in the right direction.  

Both authors communicate the incompatibility of the two worlds to the readers but also clearly indicate that each environment has a unique effect on each character.