When Jonah first came to the island of San Lorenzo, he saw a lot of posters, one of which said, "Anybody caught practicing Bokononism in San Lorenzo will die on the hook!" (134) This is very peculiar, because Jonah had read part of a book about the island of San Lorenzo and it said that Lionel Boyd Johnson, Bokonon himself, was one of the founders of the island. In the same book, he learned about Mona Aamons Monzano. Mona is the adopted daughter of the leader of San Lorenzo, "Papa" Monzano. Shortly after seeing the wanted posters , Jonah was at a welcoming ceremony when he saw, "Mona had slipped off her sandal. Her small brown foot was bare. And with that foot, she was kneading and kneading and kneading––obscenely kneading––the instep of the flyer's boot." (146) A little while later Vonnegut reveals that Mona was performing a ritual of Bokononism, called boko-maru. It consists of rubbing the bottom of your feet with that of another Bokononist, so as to become closer with them on a spiritual level. This brought up the question of why Mona was participating in a religion that was strictly forbidden on the island, when she was part of the "royal family".
This confusion is later cleared, when Jonah was talking with Julian Castle, the founder of San Lorenzo's sole hospital. When Jonah told Julian that he noticed a lot of Bokononists on the island, Julian said, "'You haven't caught on yet?' 'To what?' 'Everybody on San Lorenzo is a devout Bokononist, the hy-u-o-ook-kuh notwithstanding.'" (172) While this answers the question of why are some people practicing Bokononism, it raises the question of why is it outlawed if everyone on the island practices it?
Jonah went on to ask Julian why Bokononism was illegal in San Lorenzo, and Julian replied, "It was his own idea. He asked McCabe to outlaw him and his religion too, in order to give the religious life of the people more zest, more tang." (173). This is perhaps one of the wisest things I have ever heard. Bokonon recognized that if you outlaw something, it makes people want to do that even more. Look at teen drinking. It is illegal for teenagers to drink, but does that stop them? No, it makes them want to drink even more.
During the same conversation, Julian Castle revealed another wonder of Bokononism. He said, "it became evident that no governmental or economic reform was going to make the people much less miserable, the religion became the one real instrument of hope. Truth was the enemy of the people , because the truth was so terrible, so Bokonon made it his business to provide the people with better and better lies." (172). Here Vonnegut is saying that the entire religion of Bokononism is based on lies, or the aforementioned foma. When I read this, it resonated with me. I wanted to become a follower of Bokonon because he was honest about the purpose of his religion, wasn't ashamed that his religion was based on lies. Just think about it. With all of the different religions in the world some of them have to be lies, yet they all preach like they are the truth. Bokonon is revealing the true purpose of religion, as a coping mechanism. When Christians are having a tough time in life, they turn to God, and it is the same in many other religions.
Overall, Vonnegut highlighted the aspects of Bokononism that make it so appealing. He analyzed different religions in the world, and discovered what they were really used for. He demonstrated the wisdom of Bokonon by having Bokonon craftily outlaw his own religion to give it more passion, and creating a religion for the sole purpose of giving his people something to hope for. I just wish there was a religion out there that was actually like Bokononism, because it really is the best religion.
Jonah went on to ask Julian why Bokononism was illegal in San Lorenzo, and Julian replied, "It was his own idea. He asked McCabe to outlaw him and his religion too, in order to give the religious life of the people more zest, more tang." (173). This is perhaps one of the wisest things I have ever heard. Bokonon recognized that if you outlaw something, it makes people want to do that even more. Look at teen drinking. It is illegal for teenagers to drink, but does that stop them? No, it makes them want to drink even more.
During the same conversation, Julian Castle revealed another wonder of Bokononism. He said, "it became evident that no governmental or economic reform was going to make the people much less miserable, the religion became the one real instrument of hope. Truth was the enemy of the people , because the truth was so terrible, so Bokonon made it his business to provide the people with better and better lies." (172). Here Vonnegut is saying that the entire religion of Bokononism is based on lies, or the aforementioned foma. When I read this, it resonated with me. I wanted to become a follower of Bokonon because he was honest about the purpose of his religion, wasn't ashamed that his religion was based on lies. Just think about it. With all of the different religions in the world some of them have to be lies, yet they all preach like they are the truth. Bokonon is revealing the true purpose of religion, as a coping mechanism. When Christians are having a tough time in life, they turn to God, and it is the same in many other religions.
Overall, Vonnegut highlighted the aspects of Bokononism that make it so appealing. He analyzed different religions in the world, and discovered what they were really used for. He demonstrated the wisdom of Bokonon by having Bokonon craftily outlaw his own religion to give it more passion, and creating a religion for the sole purpose of giving his people something to hope for. I just wish there was a religion out there that was actually like Bokononism, because it really is the best religion.
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