So It Goes

            What will the world’s end bring? Humans have pondered this colossal question since the beginning of time and Kurt Vonnegut chooses to tackle the ambitious topic in his 1963 novel, Cat’s Cradle. Vonnegut, who fought in World War II and experienced the massive bombing of Dresden, creates an apocalyptic tale on the island of San Lorenzo. The novel, which received publication during the Cold War, ends in a slightly open-ended fashion and, as a fan of ambiguous finales, I enjoyed Vonnegut’s culmination. Towards the end of the novel, the narrator, John, finds what he feels stands as his life purpose: to climb San Lorenzo’s largest mountain, Mount McCabe. Although John knows he must climb the mountain, he does not know what to bring with him. At one point, the protagonist cries out “’what… would the right symbol be?’” in distress (285). John’s struggle to find a symbol acts as a synecdoche of man’s quest for the meaning of life, and his lost hope parallels the lost faith in humanity the religious leader, Bokonon, felt at the world’s nadir. However, unlike the pursuit of life’s purpose, John eventually finds his answer. Vonnegut closes the novel with the final thoughts of Bokonon who expresses his desire to climb Mount McCabe and make a stature of himself “thumbing my nose at You Know Who” (287). The scholar’s purposeful omission of the word “God” illustrates his indignation and sneering view of the deity; Bokonon’s ideal final act serves to mock God and his creation of mankind, his supposed most prized design. I enjoyed Vonnegut’s choice as it asserts that humans often reveal their true values in times of crisis and panic. Thus, the last quote reveals how Bokonon stands as just another ordinary man. This idea reflects the central theme that nothing has meaning until humans construct it, as the citizens of San Lorenzo did with Bokonon. Moreover, I commend the novelist for his vague ending. Vonnegut’s deliberate lack of closure reflects his consistent claim regarding the insignificance of the human race.  I admire the author’s denouement as it accurately reflects human tendencies during catastrophes and depicts a similar view to my own in regards to the reaction to the end of the world. After reading Vonnegut’s ending, I advocate those stressing over their purpose in life to accept that the truth will never reveal itself. Although I want to also advise humans to learn from Vonnegut’s portrayal, what can we really learn? No one can anticipate how the world will end and, even if one could, would it really matter?