Vonnegutian Themes
Kurt Vonnegut has written more then twenty books in the years he has been writing. Many of his books share characters, settings, or situations. Using the same characters and such creates a unity throughout his books. Likewise, Vonnegut seems to repeat themes throughout many of his books. A number of Vonnegut's books deal with themes that include structure and order in society. Kurt Vonnegut discusses mankind's need for structure and order by the creation of meaningless associations in his novels and schizophrenic traits in his characters. Cat's Cradle, written in 1963, revolves around created relationships and groups. Set in the small island of San Lorenzo, it is the story of a chemical that can end the world. It is quickly learned upon arrival at San Lorenzo that nearly all inhabitants practice Bokonism, a religion based solely on lies, Bokonism is a 'blatant opiate to blind people to the misery around them" (Giannone 69.) In the books of Bokonon, it is plainly stated to the readers that the religion is centered on lies, one of the verses proclaims, "I wanted all things to be happy/to seem to make some sense/so we could all be happy, yes/instead of tense/and I made up lies/so that they all fit nice/and I made this sad w
One of the main storylines in Breakfast of Champions is that of Kilgore Trout's cross-country adventure to Midland City. Vonnegut uses the need for control and other schizophrenic traits in the characters of Cat's Cradle. As Papa prepares to ingest the lethal chemical, ice-nine, he declares to his assistant that the world will end with his impending death. Those afflicted by schizophrenia typically believe their actions matter no further than themselves, though selfish, it is an honest belief of those afflicted (Tufano 156. Kurt Vonnegut: "Schizophrenic or just lonely?" March 16th, 1995. Like other schizophrenics, Dwayne expects everyone around him to behave in congruency to his mind, and he expects everyone to know how to act. He begins slipping away from reality more and more often. In response, Dwayne pushes them away and seeks refuge with his dog (Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions 52. Subtitled, "Lonesome No More", Slapstick incorporates forced and fake relationships to portray impersonality. Thus, they believe that without the conjuncture of the two, the fate of the world is hopeless. As the two grow older, their relationship distances creating confusion and a sense of lacking for the two, the government issued family gives the sense of belonging and the control back. Hallucinations, paranoia and escapes from reality are all symptoms of severe schizophrenia (Mental Health Network).
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Acceptance Essays
