Cat's Cradle Setting Analysis

The Lust for Purpose The setting of a novel can have a large impact on the overall meaning of a work as well as change the way characters would act. The setting of Cat’s Cradle shifts from Illium, New York to San Lorenzo, an island in the Caribbean, all taking place during the mid-twentieth century. The sudden shift from such a modernized and meaningful place to live to one of primitivism and poverty allows the book to give more perspective on Vonnegut’s purpose. He discusses the recent advancements in science as dangerous, yet also asserts that there is a more complex reason as to why people yearn for this advancement. The first setting of the book, Illium, is a dreary town, but one with a purpose. It’s citizens didn’t seem to be overjoyed with where they lived but it was never viewed as a bad town to live in. The research center gave many purpose in life, the most sought after thing for all the characters in the book. A large portion of the Illium …show more content…
The island had a more dense population than any other country on the planet, yet had a very poor economy. Therefore, the inhabitants needed something to attach themselves to. And while the national religion was Christianity, the much more popular religion was Bokononism. The religion was, however, strategically outlawed, “It was his own idea. He asked McCabe to outlaw him and his religion, too, in order to give the religious life of the people more zest, more tang” (Vonnegut 173). This religion was necessary for the people to find worth in such a worthless island through their own disobedience of the law. Bokonon and McCabe, the founders of the new republic, realized this and outlawed the religion in place of real economic and social reform. This was a completely different method to finding meaning than those in Illium, encouraging explicit illegal action, yet just as