Revision of Open Prompt #4

Odd pieces of literature effectuate memorable reading experiences. Cat's Cradle by Curt Vonnegut is one such quirky piece of writing. The passage in which Ice-9 falls contacts the ocean and prompts the end of all life is a particularly vivid apocalyptic portrait.  This passage serves as the culmination of the destructive behavior of humans, a motif of the novel, and  demonstrates the gravity of the situation all to well. 

            The passage in which Ice-9 contacts the ocean is the logical conclusion to the series of events that lead up to this point, demonstrating the true nature of people to destroy. Earlier in the novel, the protagonist mentions the possible creation of Ice-9, but is skeptical about its existence.  He has trouble believing something could cause such destruction, one slip and it could literally end all life on the planet. The protagonist grapples throughout the novel with man’s ability to manufacture his own destruction.  Much of Cat’s Cradle is a criticism of such actions.  There is a startling connection between the local strongman dictator of a Caribbean island and the nuclear physicist who created Ice-9, raising the question of whether this man is scientist.  The inevitable fact of creating a weapon that could destroy mankind, is that it will.  This represents the ignorance of the creator to the true nature of the human race.  People lack the logic necessary to wield power.  This criticism of Ice-9 is really on of  nuclear weapons; they too possess potential to wipe out all of man kind.   This passage in which the world is destroyed before the protagonist’s eyes is the culmination of the dangerous and foolish work of a genius who was unaware of the true nature of human beings, made painfully evident.

            This passage is  effective in illustrating human nature by creating a horrific scenario, possibly worse than nuclear Armageddon.  All of the world freezes over due to Ice-9, all bodies of water are instantly frozen.  The true essence of life, the one thing vital to life, is all ruined.  The fateful event unfolds in a predictable scene, the reader is aware far before the characters what they are about to cause.    When the  Ice-9 crystal plummets toward the water below, the reader benefits from dramatic irony in its finest form. This technique to critique human nature is perfect, because we currently are living in a world like this. The weapons man currently possesses perpetuates imminent destruction.  The imagery of the post apocalyptic world is vivid.  A frozen hellscape with only cement untouched and allowing the protagonist  to navigate the barren world.  This is especially memorable to the reader and the idea that the protagonist must spend the rest of his days avoiding dying by being frozen and trapped in a whole with a rag tag group of survivors that he knew from before the incident seems beyond terrible.  This is truly a memorable passage that is extremely effective in culminating the criticisms of Vonnegut into one powerful event that makes readers remember and feel similarly to Vonnegut in terms of his ideas of the danger of the human race.