d to divert attention from more real, more pressing problems that people in these novels face. 1. San Lorenzo is in a state of poverty, but Bokononism gives people some thrill in their lives because it's outlawed (Vonnegut, Cradle). 2. In The Sirens of Titan, the Church of God the Utterly Indifferent has people handicap themselves so everyone is equal, destroying individuality and creating a uniform race. IV. Vonnegut fears the rapid evolution of our society. A. Through the fictional realm of his writing, Vonnegut expresses his fear of our evolution through worlds where humanity has gotten too smart and cruel for our own good. 1. In Welcome to the Monkey House, the population on Earth has reached so many people that civilians are required to take Ethical Birth Control pills. 2. The other way to lower the population is that people are encouraged to kill themselves at Ethical Suicide Parlors. B. Through the fictional realm of his writing, Vonnegut expresses his fear of our evolution through worlds where humanity has gotten too smart and cruel for our own good. 1. Galapagos focuses on this, telling of a world where only a few people are left and the human race is reborn in a much more primitive form. 2. Galapagos expresses Vonnegut's view of humankind's slim chance of living how we are much longer. V. Conclusion When a child was born in Indianapolis on November 11, 1922, one of modern American literature's most hailed and disliked authors entered the world. He was named Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Many people enjoy his "breezy style and innovative subject matter" (Encarta), while others find this subject matter radical and offensive. Vonnegut always enjoyed writing. During both high school and college he edited for his schools newspapers. He attended Cornell University in his home state before leaving to fight in World War II with the United States Air Force. Shortly after he arrived in Europe and began fighting, his mother commi...