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Chapter 18
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cat’s Cradle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Science and Morality
Religion
Governance, Politics, and Nationhood
Absurdity and Meaninglessness
Summary
Analysis
Dr. Breed explains that, though Dr. Hoenikker was free to work on whatever he felt like, he was often asked for solutions to particular problems. A marine general wanted him to find a way of getting rid of mud, which the marines were apparently sick of fighting in. To John’s disbelief, Dr. Breed tells him that, theoretically speaking, Dr. Hoenikker fulfilled the general’s request successfully.
The request from the marine shows the complex interplay between science and governance, in this case the military arm of the state. The use of mud is an ironic gesture towards the Bokononist cosmogony, which states that man is made out of mud.
Themes
