The truth is not always better than the alternative. Kurt Vonnegut knew this and shaped his novel, Cat's Cradle, accordingly. In fact, the title itself gives rise to the notion that nothing is really as it seems. There are a number of ideas that Vonnegut may have pondered when deciding on the title of his book. Some, certainly involved literal cat's cradles, others perhaps just the mere idea of the cat's cradle and what it can represent.

When Newt was young, his father, Dr. Hoenikker, had made for him a cat's cradle out of string. This stimulates discussion as to what a cat's cradle is physically and how Vonnegut feels about them. This lays the groundwork for speculation as to how other aspects of the novel reflect the title. When Dr. Hoenikker showed his son the cat's cradle, presumably something he learned hoe to make when he was...