Understanding Religion Through Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle Essay

Understanding Religion Through Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle The following is issued as a warning from the compose Kurt Vonnegut to the reader Any one unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this intensity either(14). The latter quote is typical of Vonnegut in his usage of creating a personal narrative. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was born in Indianapolis, like many an(prenominal) of his characters, in 1922. His flavor from that point on closely resembles the lives of the people in his satirical novel Cats Cradle. Vonneguts mother committed suicide when he was twenty devil years experienced and in many of his novels the character of the mother is dead. Vonneguts lifelong pessimism clearly has its roots in his parents despairing response to the depression (Allen 2). He was captured in WWII and was present in Dresden, Germany when it was bombed and set fire to, killing 135,000 citizens. This late r became the basis for Vonneguts greatest succeeder Slaughterhouse-Five. Cats Cradle was published in 1963, and though it wasnt as heavy(a) a success as Slaughterhouse, it became widely known as contributing to the counter- coating since it does in fact question and counter almost every part of our societys cultivation (Reed). One of the largest points of our culture brought into question in Cats Cradle is religion. Vonnegut himself is a Humanist, meaning that he isnt sure of the existence of a God, but values life to a higher place all else. In his last novel Timequake, Vonnegut explains that he understands that humans need religion as something to turn to for comfort and suppo... ... Literature). Columbia, SC University of SouthCarolina Press, 1991.Broer, Lawrence R., editor. Sanity Plea schizophrenic disorder in the Novels of Kurt Vonnegut (revised edition). Tuscaloosa, AL University of Alabama Press, 1994Huber, Chris . The Vonnegut Web. 14 Feb. 2002. 25 Feb. 2002http//www.duke.edu/crh4/vonnegut/Klinkowitz, Jerome. Vonnegut in Fact The Public Spokesmanship of Personal Fiction. Columbia, SC University of South Carolina Press, 1998.Reed, Peter J. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Warner Books, 1972.Vit, Marek. Marek Vits Kurt Vonnegut Corner. 4 Mar. 2002. 25 Feb. 2002http//www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4953/vonn.htmlVonnegut, Kurt . Cats Cradle. 1963. New York dell Publishing, 1988Vonnegut, Kurt. Mother Night. New York Fawcett, 1962.Vonnegut, Kurt. Timequake. New York Putnam, 1997 Understanding Religion Through Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle EssayUnderstanding Religion Through Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle The following is issued as a warning from the author Kurt Vonnegut to the reader Any one unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either(14). The latter quote is typical of Vonnegut in his usage of creati ng a personal narrative. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was born in Indianapolis, like many of his characters, in 1922. His life from that point on closely resembles the lives of the people in his satirical novel Cats Cradle. Vonneguts mother committed suicide when he was twenty two years old and in many of his novels the character of the mother is dead. Vonneguts lifelong pessimism clearly has its roots in his parents despairing response to the depression (Allen 2). He was captured in WWII and was present in Dresden, Germany when it was bombed and set fire to, killing 135,000 citizens. This later became the basis for Vonneguts greatest success Slaughterhouse-Five. Cats Cradle was published in 1963, and though it wasnt as big a success as Slaughterhouse, it became widely known as contributing to the counter-culture since it does in fact question and counter almost every part of our societys culture (Reed). One of the largest po ints of our culture brought into question in Cats Cradle is religion. Vonnegut himself is a Humanist, meaning that he isnt sure of the existence of a God, but values life above all else. In his last novel Timequake, Vonnegut explains that he understands that humans need religion as something to turn to for comfort and suppo... ... Literature). Columbia, SC University of SouthCarolina Press, 1991.Broer, Lawrence R., editor. Sanity Plea Schizophrenia in the Novels of Kurt Vonnegut (revised edition). Tuscaloosa, AL University of Alabama Press, 1994Huber, Chris. The Vonnegut Web. 14 Feb. 2002. 25 Feb. 2002http//www.duke.edu/crh4/vonnegut/Klinkowitz, Jerome. Vonnegut in Fact The Public Spokesmanship of Personal Fiction. Columbia, SC University of South Carolina Press, 1998.Reed, Peter J. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Warner Books, 1972.Vit, Marek. Marek Vits Kurt Vonnegut Corner. 4 Mar. 2002. 25 Feb. 2002http//www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4953/vonn.htmlVonnegut, Kurt . Cats Cradle. 1963. New York Dell Publishing, 1988Vonnegut, Kurt. Mother Night. New York Fawcett, 1962.Vonnegut, Kurt. Timequake. New York Putnam, 1997