Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle is the book my philosophy group has chosen to read, and so far I have a lot of feeling on the story. First off, it's a very bizarre book, almost nothing like books that I have read before. The author Kurt Vonnegut, starts with the main character Jonah and his 'religious' group the Bokonons, and branches off from there to talk about much smaller details from the main point of Jonah writing a book about the bomb on Hiroshima. In a way, it's kind of confusing, but it's new and fresh for me so I enjoy it's originality. But is there a purpose for Vonnegut going off on small, so seeming useless journeys from the main plot line. I say no. The story is based around Jonah, and Bokonon, the religion he follows. I believe these smaller parts to the story will eventually fit together, explaining more about Bokonon and how Jonah went from being a christian, to a Bokonon. In a way this style of writing builds up from small, to large, and you just have to continue going along with it, to see the final outcome. Possibly, the thing that pushes Jonah to join his certain religious group is the bomb on Hiroshima, and how he is going to write a book on it and one of the main creators of the bomb, Doctor Hoenikker. For that is what provokes Jonah to go out on the quest to write his story, thus causing the smaller, comedic side stories to occur.
         Another part of Cat's Cradle that I find very interesting is the portrayal of Doctor Hoenikker. In some ways, I would consider him to be a lot like my interpretation of Vonnegut. It seams like both of them have minds that stray. For example, Vonnegut writes the book in a way that wanders from the main point, but for a purpose, and Hoenikker's mind wanders, but because he is trying to discover more about science and how he can contribute to the good of man kind. Possibly Vonnegut made Hoenikker to be a portrayal of himself? Hopefully I will be able to learn more about this connection and discover more as I continue to read Cat's Cradle.