Love. A simple emotion but yet so complicated. How can an emotion that is supposed to bring so much happiness and joy also breed some of the worst characteristics of today's world and lead to such catastrophe? The loaded concept of love and the problems that seem to arise from it or, to be more precise, the search for it are all explored in Cat's Cradle. Kurt Vonnegut uses various characters in the text to demonstrate the different types of love through their unique quests to achieve it and the resolution of that desired quest. Newt, considered an outcast, represents the part of the population that seeks companionship from the outside. On the other hand, John apparently has no aspiration to find companionship, but rather a need after getting caught up in the desire for a girl. as happens so often these days. Finally, Felix is ​​the epitome of those who neglect their family and friends, only caring about what is directly in front of them. Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle shows how the tortuous path to discovering one of life's greatest treasures, love, can lead to utter destruction or humiliation by bringing to light the underlying problems of the company. This is seen first hand through Newt's wish to connect with Zinka who turns out to be a complete imposter. Love, or more accurately infatuation, can describe the desire John feels for Mona simply by seeing a single photo of the woman and Felix's love of knowledge ultimately leads to literal destruction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The desire to connect with others has been sought by all of humanity. When a person is seen as an outcast, it creates a difficult and lonely path to companionship and can lead them to do questionable things. Newt symbolizes everything that comes to mind when we talk about the term outcast and this is how Vonnegut demonstrates the dangers of love when you are so vulnerable. He is seen as a weak and meaningless person to some extent, which may be due to his short stature. When someone is constantly beaten and receives hateful insults, it begins to change their soul. It all comes down to the fundamental vulnerability of every person, and when love is mixed into the equation, it's bound to end in disaster. As Newt writes the letter to John, he acknowledges the fact that he has been able to see how others perceive him to simply live his life feeling sorry for himself. However, he quickly changes course and declares that he has found love. “Actually, I'm a very lucky person and I know it. I'm about to marry a wonderful little girl. There is enough love in this world for everyone, if only people will look. I am the proof” (18). The only problem was, Newt didn't even have to look. By what seemed like an extreme coincidence, a girl came to him and no doubt took advantage of Newt to get information about her father's work. Zinka, the girl supposedly aged 23, was in reality a 42-year-old spy. The only explanation was that she sensed Newt's vulnerability as he longed for love and exposed it in cold blood. Newt had so much hope of finally finding love, he let his guard down without hesitation and it hurt him in the long run because he was blindsided by the ending of the game. Relationship Development, by Rebecca B. Rubin indicates how one could possibly prevent a similar circumstance from occurring. “The research also examined five main strategies for reducing uncertainty:interrogation, self-disclosure, deception detection, environmental structuring, and deviation testing” (Rubin). With the life Newt led, he had no chance of gaining true certainty. He was lost in the game of love because of his vulnerability. Newt says it best when he realizes what happened and reflects on his broken heart. “In this world, you get what you pay for” (128). How often in today's world is true, eternal love confused with infatuation? This superficial “form” of love is appalling in our society today because it has the potential to cause madness and tinkering with the already too easily conformable human mind. It really touches on the concept of love at first sight and whether it's a real phenomenon. John experiences this firsthand when he sees a photo of Mona, or so he thinks. From the moment he first laid eyes on her, the seemingly level-headed John begins to think irrationally as the focus of his soul attracts Mona's attention. Under no circumstances would he have accepted the offer to become dictator of San Lorenzo if it had not been due to his judgment being clouded by infatuation. This lowered John's decision-making and reasoning right before the reader's eyes and it was obvious that the deception of love mixed with his love for Mona's looks demonstrated the effects of this fault: "La Fata Morgana, the mirage of what it would be like to be loved by Mona Aamons Monzano, had become a formidable force in my meaningless life. I imagined that she could make me much happier than any woman had managed to do so far” (85). The logic John uses in his thought process is obviously flawed and illustrated by the way he uses words like "imagined." This is a cause for concern because it is obvious that his hope of winning Mona's love is ruining his inhibitions. Events like this are present everywhere in the world today and especially in our media. Even political figures like Bill Clinton were killed by the sword of infatuation, which led him to commit numerous wrongdoings in front of a national audience. “Clinton is embarrassed by history as a post-civil rights president who carries the trauma of a degraded America” (Melissa Deem). By going against all moral codes, Clinton found herself caught in the mess of infatuation and love and ended up wreaking havoc across America. John does this on a much smaller scale, but in the long run it leads to Mona's death and the destruction of San Lorenzo. This shows how simple confusion in the true definition of love can result in such heartbreak. Lust Balance, by Cas Wouters, shows readers how easy this confusion is and how it comes down to finding the limit of what true love really is. “The concept of balance of desire refers to the social organization and accompanying social codes (ideals and practices) regarding the relationship between the desire for sexual gratification and the desire for lasting relational intimacy” (Wouters). The apparent problem in today's world is that so many people have difficulty telling the two apart, hence the cause of all the problems, as John best demonstrates. The love of knowledge has the power to trump all other forms of love. This presents many dangers because it introduces the concept of loving non-material objects over people. This particular path is dark and difficult because it leads to neglect, among other fatal traits. Felix Hoenikker is the perfect example of all things neglect and it shows through his interactions with his family.. 2015