Kurt Vonnegut has written more then twenty books in the years he has been writing. Many of his books share characters, settings, or situations. Using the same characters and such creates a unity throughout his books. Likewise, Vonnegut seems to repeat themes throughout many of his books. A number of Vonnegut's books deal with themes that include structure and order in society. Kurt Vonnegut discusses mankind's need for structure and order by the creation of meaningless associations in his novels and schizophrenic traits in his characters.
             Cat's Cradle, written in 1963, revolves around created relationships and groups. Set in the small island of San Lorenzo, it is the story of a chemical that can end the world. It is quickly learned upon arrival at San Lorenzo that nearly all inhabitants practice Bokonism, a religion based solely on lies, Bokonism is a 'blatant opiate to blind people to the misery around them" (Giannone 69.) In the books of Bokonon, it is plainly stated to the readers that the religion is centered on lies, one of the verses proclaims, "I wanted all things to be happy/to seem to make some sense/so we could all be happy, yes/instead of tense/and I made up lies/so that they all fit nice/and I made this sad world/into a paradise" (Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle 127.) The followers of Bokonism are ignorant to the lies they are following and see the religion as a positive aspect as it unites San Lorenzans. Different circumstances soon make it obvious that Bokonism is illegal. The Christian nation of San Lorenzo outlawed the practice of the religion many years ago, before exiling the creator, Bokonon. Bokonon, a highly intelligent and manipulative man was the mastermind behind outlawing his own religion. His "exile" was simply a disappearance into the wilderness, to give the religion more zest and appeal to the followers and to create a common struggle of religious fr...