Cat’s Cradle: Chapter 122 Summary & Analysis

Crosby, Hazel, and Newt take John back in the taxi-cab to what is left of Frank’s house by the waterfall. All that’s left is the cave behind the waterfall, which is now “a sort of igloo under a translucent, blue-white dome of ice-nine.” Those apart from John and Mona initially took shelter in a dungeon of the palace.

Frank has painted white stars and “U.S.A.” on the taxi-cab; he left the paint somewhere, which was then used by someone else to write the poem John saw by the palace gate. John assumes Angela, Philip, and Julian are dead, but doesn’t want to ask how yet.

As he rides in the cab, John is surprised by the “gaiety” of the others. Hazel explains: “wait until you see how we live. We’ve got all kinds of good things to eat. Whenever we want water, we just build a campfire and melt some. The Swiss Family Robinson – that’s what we call ourselves.”