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Chapter 45
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
John and the Mintons talk about Frank. Minton explains that Frank is no longer a U.S. citizen. John asks Minton about the book he and Claire have been reading—it is the “only scholarly book ever written about San Lorenzo.” Its author is Julian Castle. John opens the book to a chapter about Bokonon: “Pay no attention to Caesar. Caesar doesn’t have the slightest idea what’s really going on.”
Bokonon is a kind of religious trickster, putting in place quasi-religious rules while also undercutting his authority at every turn. Here, he takes aim at one of history’s prime examples of leadership—Julius Caesar. He undermines him, but also undermines his own credentials for leadership elsewhere.
Themes
