“Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player, who struts and frets during his hour on stage, then is heard no more; it is a story told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, meaning nothing” (William Shakespeare). Kurt Vonnegut's pessimistic view reflects Shakespeare's lesson that life is too short not to find purpose in one's existence. Vonnegut uses existential despair as a way of thinking that life is trivial and insignificant because it does not find a purpose for existence. The narrator of Cat's Cradle, John, remembers what happened the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. To gain insight into his book, The Day the World Ended, he travels to Illuim and San Lorenzo to interview the Hoenikker family. Interviewing the family will eventually lead John to meet a group of people destined, his karass, to discover the religion of Bokononism and lead to the end of the world. The end of the world is linked to existential despair because it is a time when an individual questions the purpose, meaning, or value of life. The underlying message of futility is shown throughout the book in many different situations and characters. This message of vanity manifests itself through the three literary elements of symbolism, imagery, and characterization. A recurring theme in Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle is existential despair which conveys the message that life is meaningless and futile. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Symbolism is used as a literary device in Cat's Cradle to reveal the theme of existential despair. It represents materialistic things that have no meaning and are futile. Newt Hoenikker, the youngest son of the Hoenikker family, draws what look like black lines and stripes on a canvas, then goes on to say that's what you want. John contemplates, then responds by saying, "The scratches formed a sort of spider's web, and I wondered if they might not be the sticky nets of human futility hung up on a moonless night to dry" (Vonnegut 164) . He explains that the stripes on the cat's cradle look like a spider web but are made up of the futility of humanity. The painting is an emblem of the emptiness of man because man cannot find a reason to live. Additionally, Angela explains that her marriage to Harrison Conners is great and their relationship is loving. However, when Angela leaves to get her clarinet, Newt tells John that Angela's marriage is just an illusion; explaining: “Do you see the cat? Do you see the cradle? (Vonnegut179). He further reveals that her husband was involved in many affairs and did not come home. John theorizes that Harrison is only looking for Angela's new piece of ice. After acquiring it, he sold it to the American government and obtained a contract with them. This also makes him the CEO of a weapons factory. The expression Newt uses symbolizes that what you see on the surface is not always what is happening; It could all be a facade. The symbolism reveals how life is sacred and insignificant and meaningless and that things do not always appear as they seem. Another key aspect that helps emphasize the theme of futility is allusion, which uses references to help connect one event to another. An allusion is used to represent the theme by making a biblical allusion to Mount McCabe. Returning to the theme of existential despair, thousands of Bokononists gather on Mount McCabe and commit suicide.