What Role Does Vonnegut Play In Cat's Cradle

In Cat’s Cradle, the extended metaphor of a cat’s cradle and looking closer and seeing nothing is a commentary on scientists. This idea is particularly prominent through the character of Felix Hoenikker. Hoenikker played a role in developing the atomic bomb, and throughout the novel we see people who automatically perceive him as an evil person due to his scientific work that led to mass devastation in Hiroshima. Frank also developed “ice nine” which at the end of the novel is responsible for the deaths of the majority of the human race. However, Vonnegut simply portrayed Felix as a character who was a talented scientist, who lacks any evil intent towards humanity, despite the destruction caused by scientific projects he contributed towards.
In the 1930’s Britain and France deployed a policy of appeasement towards Germany in an attempt to avoid war with Germany. In 1938 Britain and France allowed Germany to have total control over the Sudetenland. It was their hope that by allowing Hitler this, he would be satisfied and not demand any further land or control. A very similar incidence occurs in War With The Newts in which at the Conference of Nations at Vaduz country representatives believe they must give over control of China to the newts to protect other nations. The Chief Salamander offers to buy the bay at the South of France from the French government in order to create more settlements for the newts to live in. France refuses, and instead at the next meeting the nations make an offer to the newts of allowing central China to be given to them for flooding, if they will in turn guarantee the safety of European coasts and colonies. Ultimately, in the novel attempting appeasement towards the newts is a futile effort as the conference is interrupted by the news that “the Newts have flooded part of Venetian province round Portogruaro.” (page 326). This attack on Italy demonstrates that attempting to appease the newts is a pointless endeavor and will eventually fail, as Europe cannot be considered safe from the newt attacks. In addition to this, appeasement in the novel
The Middle Passage refers the triangular trade across the Atlantic Ocean in which slaves were shipped from Africa to the Americas and West Indies; goods such as sugar and cotton were shipped to Europe, who then shipped manufactured goods to Africa. In War With The Newts it is easy to understand within the text, the ways in which Čapek is alluding to a social commentary on the Slave Trade. The trading of newts is named “the Newt Trade” (page 187) so it is easy to consider the two trades as practically identical. The newts are taken forcibly, “in this way over two hundred senseless Newts were captured” (page 186). African slaves were taken against their will and forced into slavery, so already the idea of enslavement and loss of liberty is being demonstrated by Čapek. The newts are also transported in cramped, poor conditions, it is described that the water of the tanks they’re in “was ghastly…it was yellow and blotched with excrement” (page 186). This is extremely similar to how on the slave ships conditions were both crowded and dirty. If a newt dies on the passage, they are called “damaged goods” and thrown overboard to the “well fed sharks [that] persistently followed” (page 186). The same way slaves were dehumanized and simply viewed as a commodity; the newts are seen the same way and when