Characters

• John/Jonah (Narrator): The protagonist and narrator, a writer researching the atomic bomb who becomes entangled with the Hoenikker family and the turbulent state of the island of San Lorenzo.
• Dr. Felix Hoenikker: The brilliant but amoral scientist who helped create the atomic bomb and invented ice-nine.
• Frank Hoenikker: Felix's older son, a technically-minded man who becomes a Major General in San Lorenzo.
• Angela Hoenikker Conners: Felix's tall daughter, a clarinetist who acted as a mother figure to her siblings.
• Newton “Newt” Hoenikker: Felix's dwarf son, a painter who had a brief affair with a Soviet spy.
• "Papa” Monzano: The ailing dictator of San Lorenzo who commits suicide with ice-nine.
• Mona Aamons Monzano: Papa's beautiful adopted daughter, expected to marry his successor.
• Bokonon: Founder of Bokononism and co-founder of San Lorenzo, living in exile.
• Dr. Asa Breed: Felix Hoenikker's former supervisor. He gives the narrator a tour of Ilium. H. Lowe Crosby: An American businessman whom the narrator meets on his flight to San Lorenzo
• Horlick Minton: The new American ambassador to San Lorenzo.

Quick facts

• Cat’s Cradle, published in 1963, was Kurt Vonnegut's fourth book.
• The title refers to the string game “cat's cradle,” which is mentioned several times in the novel. It symbolizes the futility and absurdity of human endeavors, as the game involves creating intricate string patterns that ultimately have no purpose.
• The fictional substance ice-nine was inspired by a real scientist, Irving Langmuir, whom Vonnegut met while working at General Electric.
• The book contains 127 very short chapters, some only a paragraph long.
• Vonnegut created an entire fictional religion called Bokononism for the novel.
• Written during the height of the Cold War, Cat's Cradle reflects fears of nuclear annihilation and global destruction.
• Cat’s Cradle was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1964.
• Much of the novel is set on the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo.
• The Grateful Dead named their publishing company Ice Nine after the substance in the book.
• Leonardo DiCaprio's production company optioned the film rights to the novel in 2005.
• Cat’s Cradle was banned by a school board in Ohio in 1972 for being “completely sick” and “garbage."
• Vonnegut collaborated on a musical album based on the book called Ice-9 Ballads in 2001.
• Cat’s Cradle is ultimately a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked scientific progress and the human capacity for self-delusion.

About the author

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was an American author known for his novels blending dark humor and elements of science fiction with social commentary. His distinctive writing style featured short, simple sentences to explore complex themes, including war, technology, and the human condition.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vonnegut studied biochemistry at Cornell University before serving in World War II. As a prisoner of war, he survived the firebombing of Dresden, an experience that would profoundly influence his writing, particularly his most famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. After the war, Vonnegut worked as a journalist and in public relations while developing his craft as a writer. His first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1952. Over the next five decades, he would go on to write 14 novels, including acclaimed works like Cat's Cradle and Breakfast of Champions.

Beyond his novels, Vonnegut was an accomplished short story writer, essayist, and visual artist. He lectured widely and became an outspoken humanist and pacifist, using his platform to critique American society and politics. Vonnegut's work often grappled with big questions about the meaning of life and humanity's place in the universe, filtered through his sardonic wit and deep empathy for society's underdogs. His unique voice and perspective resonated strongly with the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s, and his books continue to be widely read and studied.