“Life is but a walking shadow, a poor actor, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a story told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying 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 meaningless because one finds no purpose for existence. The narrator of Cat's Cradle, John, remembers what happened the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. To obtain useful information for his book, The Day the World Ended, he leaves for Illuim and San Lorenzo to interview the Hoenikker family. Interviewing the family will eventually lead John to meet a group of fated people, his karass, discover the religion of Bokononism and lead to the end of the world. The end of the world connects 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Symbolism is used as a literary device in Cat's Cradle to reveal the theme of existential despair. It represents meaningless and futile materialistic things. Newt Hoenikker, the youngest son of the Hoenikker family, draws what appear to be black lines and scratches on a canvas, then proceeds to say it's whatever you want it to be. John reflects, then responds by saying, “The scratches formed a sort of spider's web, and I wondered if they might not be the sticky webs of human uselessness hung out to dry on a moonless night” (Vonnegut 164). He explains that the scratches on the cat's cradle look like a spider's web but are made up of the futility of humanity. The painting is an emblem of man's emptiness because man cannot find a reason to live. Furthermore, Angela explains that her marriage to Harrison Conners is excellent and that their relationship is loving. However, when Angela goes to get the clarinet, Newt tells John that Angela's marriage is all an illusion; explaining: “Do you see the cat? Do you see the crib?" (Vonnegut 179). She also reveals that her husband has been involved in numerous affairs and has not returned home. John theorizes that Harrison is only after Angela's piece of ice nine. After acquiring it, he sells it to the US government and gets a contract with them. This also makes him the CEO of an arms factory. The phrase 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, meaningless and that things may 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. Continuing the theme of existential despair, thousands of Bokononists gather on Mount McCabe and commit suicide because they lose hope and are going through an existential crisis. They take Bokonon to Mount McCabe and ask him.