Postmodernism is a term that refers to the search for truth and reason in life. Postmodernism began after the failed attempts of making order based on truth. In Postmodernism for Beginners, author Jim Powel explains how “Modern artists began to look for some internal value that was beyond all the chaos.” In a postmodern era thinkers and society as a whole want to see life at its entirety and then explain what it means and how it exist. This postmodernist idea appears throughout Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. At the beginning of the novel Vonnegut explains the religion of Bokonnism, stating “All of the true things I am about to tell you are harmless lies.” This religion gives the people something to believe and follow, but at the same time they don’t have to search for the deeper mean and find truth or reason. Vonnegut is able to emphasize the idea that there is no absolute truth. Writings from the modernist period focused on creating the perfect society by revealing the truth of science. However, Vonnegut points out the flaws of such a philosophy by criticizing the idea of absolute truth. In the novel, John goes to a laboratory for one of his articles, and talks to one of the directors and finds that the main purpose of the place was to find clarity in life. He explains how, “Nothing generous about it. New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.” They thrive to find the deeper meaning in all the chaos of the world. This clearly parallels with Postmodernism and the search for truth and reason. In their eyes, it makes society as a whole closer to perfection by knowing the truth, similar to what Postmodernist believe.
