20, April 2025

The Religion of ‘Bokononism’ as the Prime Mover of Action in Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle

VOLUME-11; ISSUE-4; APR-2025

Author(s): 1 Emad Kamel Salami, 2 Dr. Mekhala Venkatesh

Authors Affiliations:

1Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of English, Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru, India

2Associate Professor and Research Guide, Department of English, Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru, India

Email – 1 emadsalami500@gmail.com,   2v.mekhala@jainuniversity.ac.in,

DOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/202504043     |     Paper ID: IJIRMF202504043


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The current paper examines the fictional religion, Bokononism, and explores its role in Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle by serving as a primary element in driving the narrative forward and shaping the actions and fates of its characters. Vonnegut utilises the religion of Bokononism as a tool to arrange the outline of the novel’s events, criticise the futility of human life, and challenge the traditional religious human beliefs. The paper focuses on how Bokononism, despite its paradoxical practices and beliefs, serves as a force that encourages the characters, emphasize the meaninglessness of life and eventually results in the disastrous end of the world. Moreover, the research also conducts a review of some previous scholarly articles on the topic and identifies the gap in them, trying to offer a brand new and fresh approach to Vonnegut’s way of employing religion in Cat’s Cradle.

Bokononism, Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, Religion, Postmodernism, Satire.

Emad Kamel Salami,  Dr. Mekhala Venkatesh(2025); The Religion of ‘Bokononism’ as the Prime Mover of Action in Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620, Vol-11, Issue-4, Pp.315-318.          Available on –   https://www.ijirmf.com/

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