Comparing Vonnegut's Mona, Newt, And Julian Castle

Often people travel through life meeting others who help them understand the complex idea of life. This encounter between the people is random, surprising, and usually a result of their karass. A karass is a Bokonist term meaning a group of people who unknowingly play an important role in doing gods will. Mona, Newt, and Julian Castle are all part of John’s karass, and help him understand the many facets of life. Newt teaches John that life is an illusion, and is meaningless through his example of a cat’s cradle and unfortunate love life. Julian Castle teaches John pragmatism through his patient care and interpretation of life. Mona teaches John that love is necessary to be happy, and that complexity causes destruction. In Kurt Vonnegut's novel
Cat's Cradle, Mona, Newt, and Julian Castle, all very different, play key roles in helping John understand complex situations in his daily life. Newt Hoenikker embodies man and his view on the world in the novel. Man is only as big as his hopes and dreams; therefore, Newt is depicted as a midget. Newt’s small stature is seen as a disadvantage throughout the novel, and Newt often feels unimportant, thus his view of the world is skewed. After painting a picture of a cat’s cradle, Newt’s understanding of the world is shown through talking to John about the picture, stating “No damn cat, no damn cradle” (Vonnegut 166). Also, Newt, unlike his father Felix, is able to love others; hence Newt’s ability to show John another way in which life is an illusion. Newt marries Zinka, who tricks Newt into thinking that she is a 23 year old dancer when really she is a 42 year old Russian spy, and helps Russia obtain ice-nine. Newt’s marriage is really all an illusion with Zinka pretending to be something she is not, and Newt claims, “She broke my heart. I didn’t like that much. But that was the price. In this world, you get what you pay for” (Vonnegut 128). Newt explains to John that life is really what you make it to be, there are not a set of rules you have to follow, you get out whatever you put in, and you can put in whatever you want to see. Along with Newt, Mona is able to love fellow man, teaching John that in pursuing happiness, love is vital. Mona’s essential beauty and simplicity is what John finds attractive about her.
John is in love with Mona as soon as he sees her, before the two even meet. After meeting each other Mona is able to teach John the meaning of Bokonism; love one’s fellow man. Bokonon suggests that an example of showing ones love is bokamaru, the touching of the soles of feet while exchanging "souls" and Mona practices this with many people. John wants to marry Mona, but the one condition he has is that Mona only loves him. Mona opposes this condition, telling John that only loving one person is the most selfish thing anyone can do, stating "A sin-wat, a man who wants all of somebody's love. That's very bad." (Vonnegut 208). John also understands life’s simplicity through Mona’s simple understanding of life. John sees this during Mona’s last moments alive. When she and John discover the mass suicides, Mona laughs, finding simple humor during a humorless situation. Through this, John realizes that the suicides are happening because man has to make life complicated instead of just listening to himself. Mona listens to herself, her true beliefs, which allow her to live a simple, carefree life. John learns from Mona that man’s complexity is the cause of destruction, and that man’s inability to love one another is also a cause of destruction of happiness in the world. Julian Castle, along with Mona, expresses to John that one needs to look at life simply, and should not make life more complicated
than it is. Julian Castle, who begins his early years of life as a party boy, teaches John pragmatism; to do what works best for you.
When John, Newt, and Castle are sitting listening to Angela play the clarinet, John states “My God - life! Who can understand even one little minute of it?" (Vonnegut 182), and Castle tells John "Don't try, just pretend you understand." (Vonnegut 182). Essentially, Castle is telling John that whatever you want to believe, whatever version of life works for you, is the best approach at life. Also, the way Castle cares for his patients at the hospital further demonstrates Castle’s understanding of life. Castle knows that many do not approve of the way he cares for his patients, making them feel at ease even if they are going to die, and making their last moments comfortable. Despite all of this, Castle knows that the way he treats his patients works for him, so he continues to treat his patients with compassion. Realizing this, John is indeed taught by Castle that the best approach to life is a pragmatic
one. Throughout the entire novel, John is taught many life lessons by Mona, Newt, and Julian. The most important lessons, the ones that inspire John the most, are that life's most precious moments are the most simple, and pragmatism helps create these simple, precious moments one can consider an illusion. Although John is living in a time period like the one in the United State's history during the Cold War, he is able to use the life lessons he is taught to understand, and make simple, life's complexity