Cat's Cradle: A Novel“A free-wheeling vehicle . . . an unforgettable ride!”—The New York Times Cat’s Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet’s ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny. A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat’s Cradle is one of the twentieth century’s most important works—and Vonnegut at his very best. “[Vonnegut is] an unimitative and inimitable social satirist.”—Harper’s Magazine “Our finest black-humorist . . . We laugh in self-defense.”—Atlantic Monthly |
Contents
1 | |
2 | |
4 | |
5 | |
8 | |
13 | |
THE ILLUSTRIOUS HOENIKKERS | 18 |
NEWTS THING WITH ZINKA | 19 |
A GOOD TIME TO COME TO SAN LORENZO | 141 |
THE STRONGEST THING THERE IS | 144 |
HYUOOOKKUH | 147 |
HOONYERA MORATOORZ | 149 |
A BIG MOSAIC | 150 |
TUTORED BY BOKONON | 153 |
THE HAPPINESS OF BEING AN AMERICAN | 154 |
THE PISSANT HILTON | 156 |
VICEPRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF VOLCANOES | 20 |
SECRET AGENT X9 | 21 |
PROTEIN | 24 |
END OF THE WORLD DELIGHT | 25 |
THE JUMPINGOFF PLACE | 27 |
WHEN AUTOMOBILES HAD CUTGLASS VASES | 30 |
MERRY CHRISTMAS | 32 |
BACK TO KINDERGARTEN | 35 |
THE GIRL POOL | 37 |
THE MOST VALUABLE COMMODITY ON EARTH | 39 |
NO MORE MUD | 42 |
ICENINE | 44 |
THE MARINES MARCH ON | 47 |
MEMBER OF THE YELLOW PRESS | 48 |
THE LAST BATCH OF BROWNIES | 50 |
WHAT A WAMPETER IS | 52 |
THE MAIN THING ABOUT DR HOENIKKER | 53 |
WHAT GOD IS | 54 |
MEN FROM MARS | 55 |
MAYONNAISE | 58 |
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN | 60 |
ONLY SLEEPING | 61 |
ANOTHER BREED | 63 |
DYNAMITE MONEY | 64 |
AN UNGRATEFUL MAN | 66 |
VINDIT | 69 |
HOBBY SHOP | 73 |
MEOW | 77 |
A MODERN MAJOR GENERAL | 79 |
BARRACUDA CAPITAL OF THE WORLD | 81 |
FATA MORGANA | 82 |
HOUSE OF HOPE AND MERCY | 84 |
A KARASS BUILT FOR TWO | 86 |
BICYCLES FOR AFGHANISTAN | 88 |
THE DEMONSTRATOR | 92 |
COMMUNIST SYMPATHIZERS | 96 |
WHY AMERICANS ARE HATED | 98 |
THE BOKONONIST METHOD FOR HANDLING CAESAR | 99 |
DYNAMIC TENSION | 101 |
JUST LIKE SAINT AUGUSTINE | 103 |
A FISH PITCHED UP BY AN ANGRY SEA | 104 |
A NICE MIDGET | 109 |
O K MOM | 110 |
NO PAIN | 114 |
THE PRESIDENT OF FABRITEK | 116 |
COMMUNISTS NAZIS ROYALISTS PARACHUTISTS AND DRAFT DODGERS | 118 |
NEVER INDEX YOUR OWN BOOK | 119 |
A SELFSUPPORTING SQUIRREL CAGE | 123 |
THE QUEASY DREAM | 125 |
TYRANNY WITH A DIFFERENCE | 127 |
FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS | 129 |
AN UNDERPRIVILEGED NATION | 132 |
WHAT A CORPORAL WAS WORTH | 134 |
WHY HAZEL WASNT SCARED | 136 |
REVERENT AND FREE | 137 |
PEACE AND PLENTY | 139 |
BLACK DEATH | 159 |
CATS CRADLE | 163 |
GIVE MY REGARDS TO ALBERT SCWEITZER | 166 |
JULIAN CASTLE AGREES WITH NEWT THAT EVERYTHING IS MEANINGLESS | 168 |
ASPIRIN AND BOKOMARU | 171 |
RING OF STEEL | 172 |
WHY MCCABES SOUL GREW COARSE | 174 |
THE WATERFALL STRAINERS | 176 |
A WHITE BRIDE FOR THE SON OF A PULLMAN PORTER | 180 |
ZAHMAHKIBO | 183 |
THE BREAKEVEN POINT | 185 |
BLACKOUT | 187 |
A PACK OF FOMA | 189 |
TWO LITTLE JUGS | 191 |
THE CUT OF MY JIB | 194 |
WHY FRANK COULDNT BE PRESIDENT | 197 |
DUFFLE | 199 |
ONLY ONE CATCH | 201 |
MONA | 203 |
ON THE POETS CELEBRATION OF HIS FIRST BOKOMARU | 205 |
HOW I ALMOST LOST MY MONA | 206 |
THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN | 210 |
SEE THE HOOK | 212 |
BELL BOOK AND CHICKEN IN A HATBOX | 213 |
THE STINKING CHRISTIAN | 216 |
LAST RITES | 219 |
DYOT MEET MAT | 220 |
DOWN THE OUBLIETTE GOES FRANK | 223 |
LIKE MY PREDECESSORS I OUTLAW BOKONON | 225 |
ENEMIES OF FREEDOM | 227 |
A MEDICAL OPINION ON THE EFFECTS OF A WRITERS STRIKE | 230 |
SULFATHIAZOLE | 232 |
PAINKILLER | 235 |
WHAT BOKONONISTS SAY WHEN THEY COMMIT SUICIDE | 237 |
FEAST YOUR EYES | 239 |
FRANK TELLS US WHAT TO DO | 240 |
FRANK DEFENDS HIMSELF | 242 |
THE FOURTEENTH BOOK | 244 |
TIME OUT | 245 |
NEWTS MOTHERS RETICULE | 248 |
HISTORY | 250 |
WHEN I FELT THE BULLET ENTER MY HEART | 252 |
AS IT HAPPENED | 257 |
THE GRAND AHWHOOM | 259 |
SANCTUARY | 261 |
THE IRON MAIDEN AND THE OUBLIETTE | 263 |
MONA THANKS ME | 267 |
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN | 270 |
AM SLOW TO ANSWER | 273 |
THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON | 275 |
OF MICE AND MEN | 276 |
FRANKS ANT FARM | 279 |
THE TASMANIANS | 282 |
SOFT PIPES PLAY ON | 284 |
THE END | 286 |
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Common terms and phrases
Aamons Ambassador American Angela and Newt Asa Breed blue-white boko-maru Bokonon tells Bokononist Bolivar Books of Bokonon called Calypso Casa Mona Castle's cat's cradle Charles Atlas Christmas cried dead duprass eyes Fata Morgana father feet Felix Hoenikker Foma Forge and Foundry Franklin Hoenikker fugging going granfalloon hands Hazel Hoenikker's hook Hoosier Hope and Mercy House of Hope Hundred Martyrs ice-nine Ilium island Johnson Julian Castle Jungle karass kids knew Koenigswald KURT VONNEGUT laugh little Newt looked Lorenzan Lowe Crosby Marine Martyrs to Democracy Marvin Breed midget Miss Faust Miss Pefko Mona Aamons Monzano Monzano Mount McCabe never Newt's nice oubliette painting Papa Papa's Philip Castle pissant play President San Lorenzo Secret Agent X-9 smile stone stone angel suppose sure talked there's thing told wampeter wanted wife xylophone Zinka