Bokononism

While reading Cat’s Cradle, Bokononism was mentioned quite a bit. I think if I wasn’t a Christian, I would want to be a Bokononist. They seem like such peaceful people and all they really want is to be happy.

As weird as this sounds, I think that’s a reoccurring theme in Vonnegut’s novels. The characters are all looking for the happiness in their lives but often times they don’t find it. For example, with Billy Pilgrim, even though he was a bystander in his own life, he just wanted to be loved. He searched for love with Montana and his own wife. Although, I’m not quite sure he ever really found love. The same thing happens to Howard W. Campbell Jr. After his wife dies, he just sorta lives in this zombie like state. He does enough to survive and that’s good enough for him. When he thinks Helga comes back, his life suddenly has purpose again and he has a reason to live. He’s happy. I think Vonnegut truly wants his characters to be happy but in the real world, life doesn’t always draw a fair card and he wants his readers to know that. Vonnegut is very much aware that life doesn’t work out that way and I think, despite the fact that his books were so out there that he wanted it to be real in some way and this was the way he could be real.