Vonnegut’s first couple of pages of the novel are quite presumptuous. He casually claims that humans have figured out all their is to know about themselves, i.e. the 53 portals to the soul. Why do you think he starts off his novel in such a way? What comes to mind when he mentions this type of internal human consciousness and claims the problem it causes has been solved?
Hi all!
I guess I will be the first to write an official reading/comment blog post regarding the material. Here it goes:
The first page of Sirens of Titan, talk about the meaning of human life, and man’s quest to reach outward finally led them back into an internal one. “The answer lies within”….
I found this really interesting because the mysterious Mr Rumford disapears and has no true existance relative to our grasp of “existing” (in one place and time) yet he is sure of his existence and purpouse it seems (chps 1-4). Whereas his wife who gets to interact with a half-there person regularly, is completely spooked, and gives off a very uncertain feel to me…Like she is always worried, scared….and never sure of herself..
I thought of another litterary piece that has two chararcters like this: Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The cheschire cat is Mr Rumford and Alice is Beatrice.
ANy thoughtS?
That’s a very interesting reading. I’m sure you noticed the direct reference to Alice in Wonderland with the side door that Malachi enters into the Rumfoord estate through. I’m not too familiar with Carroll’s actual book, just the movies, but maybe Vonnegut is playing with the previous notion of the relationship between Alice and the Cat. I agree that the Cat would most likely be represented by Winston Nile Rumfoord, but wouldn’t Alice be Malachi, since he is the one one walks through the door? This could be a total reversal of the Alice in Wonderland premise, if you will. Malachi is not an imaginative, British, presumably aristocratic, girl. Malachi, on the other hand is bored with human life, he is American, and he is the opposite of aristocratic. Vonnegut could be playing with gender role, national identity, aristocracy and the opposing positions of Rumfoord and Malachi, all through this one small reference to the “Alice in Wonderland” size door
http://www.scritube.com/limba/engleza/books/VonnegutThe-Sirens-of-Titan125195310.php
I was thinking about the multiple levels of narrative int his book, and I realized that the narrator is an unknown!!!
We read the story in a way that enables us to feel as though someone is telling it to us.. Does anyone else see this??
Also, another interesting idea to consider is how the narrator’s missing identity influences our reading and understanding of the characters.
For example: I read Malachi as the all-american super rich guy with no family-man qualities and a pro-athlete ego but who is still a good guy inside. Think: Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl. While, I read Mr Rumford as an intelligent, well manored and calm individual who is all knowing because of the power of his money in earth and now in space.
I wonder if these character reads change later in the book because the narrator’s perspective on them shifts or because the actual plot makes for these characters to shift…
Thoughts?
ps: Thats my first official blog post! 😀
“Rumfoord held up an index finger that was as translucent as a Limoges teacup. ‘During my next visit with you, fellow-believers,” he said. “I shall tell you a parable about people who do things that they think God Almighty wants done. In the meanwhile, you would do well, for background on this parable, to read everything ‘that you can lay your hands on about the Spanish Inquisition.”
Except for bits and piece of information I have gathered about the Spanish Inquisition I do not know much about it. Which is not so different from how the real generals of the Mars army gathered their information. It seems to be of importance to understanding the book in its entirety and I would be interested in doing my class presentation on the Spanish Inquisition and tying it back to the novel. Of course there is no point in giving a history lesson if no one is interested so wanted to see what people thought of that idea.
That comes at the end of chapter 7 btw.
I think that’s a pretty cool idea, tying an historical event to the novel. But what is he really trying to say when he comments on the Spanish Inquisition? Who is he really being critical of? In the context of American history, what are some events that he could be referring to? If you want a good example of this, look into the Hollywood Blacklists of the late 40’s and early 50’s, or more generally the Red Scare. Vonnegut is an American Satirist, so when reading his work I think it is necessary to put things in the context of American society, even though he may explicitly reference other events from other cultures.
I think that would be a good idea for a presentation. My knowledge of the Spanish Inquisition is pretty limited, but from what it seems to me that many parallels can be drawn.
It seems to me that the pain experienced from the antennas on mars directly parallels the punishment delivered by the tribunal court system to people declared heretics. In both cases the people in question were indoctrinated by what was deemed correct by a superior being. In the case of the Spanish Inquisition, it was the interpretation of gods will that dictated what was right / wrong. In the novel, Rumfoord was the higher power that controlled the actions of the Martian army, although his intentions are not clear yet.
What i know about the Inquisition is only from a few online sources, but i’m sure there are several other parallels that could be drawn if the topic was researched in depth.
It has just recently crossed my mind, but did anybody see the significance of the picture of the three “sirens of titan” that Rumfoord showed to Malachi in the “Skips Museum” at the very beginning of the book? I must have missed its significance, other than the fact that it was just an incentive meant for Malachi to accept his inevitable fate layed out by Rumfoord: meant to leave him with a peace of mind perhaps?
The first time Malachi is shown the picture of the Sirens he is resistant to the future that Rumfoord has just described. At the time, Malachi believes that he is in control of his destiny, part of that being the lavish indulging of beautiful women, part of it being his free will to choose his own life.
Rumfoord appeals to Malachi that he should want to go to Titan but Malachi continues to refute the desirability of Titan. “‘O.K.’ said Constant, feeling very much in control of his own destiny again, “climate, beautiful women-what else?'(p.32)”
The Sirens are symbolic of the love that Malachi will later understand is the only purpose in life. “It took us that long to realize that a purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved(p.320).” He will learn this later on Titan but Vonnegut gives the reader this piece of foreshadowing to emphasize the contrast the main character goes through.
At first, Malachi is in denial but when given the picture, “Constant sank into a wing chair again. He had to look away from all that beauty in order to keep from bursting into tears(p.34).”
The title of the book is an allusion to Homer’s “The Odyssey.” At first, Malachi is lured by the sirens song, which could lead to his downfall, as it could have for Odysseus, but as the pool “was draining slowly.[Because Salo or Rumfoord, a.k.a. ‘the Gods’ are not maintaining it] The slimy green hump that covered the Sirens of Titan was just breaking the surface…His mate Beatrice wasn’t breathing anymore(p.318).”
Vonnegut completes a simple reversal on the same theme. Odysseus is saved from death and returns to his love, only due to the warning from the Gods to plug his ears. Malachi is saved from a love-less life because of intervening “demi-gods” forcing him to open is eyes.
This initial showing of the picture creates conflict for the protagonist and seeing that the book title is “The Sirens of Titan,” the picture is of the Sirens of Titan and the following events are series of “accidents” or “mis-fortunate events” as they are called in “The Odyssey,” I think the old cliche, “A picture is worth a thousand words” is quite fitting. Or in this case, 76,424 words.
Having just finished the book, I kind of agree with whoever said it was a little disappointing. Good nonetheless. But seeing as how there’s all these questions that you try and figure out what Vonnegut meant through them almost seems like you might be reading too much into them when you find out the whole purpose of everything is for Salo to get that piece in order to finish his mission. Especially when you finally come to realize that Rumfoord himself is being used just as much, if not more, then Malachi it kind of makes everything seem that much more depressing. Of the entire book, the thing that stood out the most for me was the relationship between Malachi and Stony. I kept wondering if he was even real of maybe just someone that Unk could have created because Malachi never himself had anyone.
CAT’S CRADLE
Has anybody else found that the use of the fake religion in the book, Bokononism, to be quite annoying? I mean, with its complexity in every little detail with the karass, vin-dit, wampeter, etc….Im finding it difficult to remember the diction. However, I find it quite comical that Vonnegut has used this made-up religion didactically, to portray his views on religion as a whole. “All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies” (pg. 5) – The first sentence in the books of Bokonon! I am starting to become very familiar with Vonnegut’s writing styles and, after Sirens of Titan and Cat’s Cradle so far, its very clear that he finds religion to be quite ridiculous.