Pages 165-324 The novel - Galapagos by Vonnegut, Kurt. New York: Delta books:1985. (1985 - Book Report/Review Example

Analysis of "Galapagos" by Vonnegut In pages 165-324 of the "Galapagos", Vonnegut Kurt continues elucidating on the challenges that might soon engrave the contemporary society due to the gigantic brain size showing us what is gloomily, wildly crooked and all that we need to save for. His characters such as Leon Trout, Zenji Hiroguchi, James Wait and Bobby King are quite colorful and memorable and steer the story forward than anything. Through these characters, we get to comprehend the various evolution changes that humanity has undergone and the account of evolution as outlined by Charles Darwin.

The northernmost Galapagos Island, Santa Rosalia, is affected by a strange disease that makes people infertile, even after the pairs unite into couples. From the story, the narrator successfully and calculatedly manages to use recollections and satire to create a rather moving and shattering story. With the current technological epoch, the simple minded generation that the author anticipates in the story seems to be more of an incongruity. He foresees a generation of simple minded human beings with flippers and ‘nubbins’, rudimentary fingers, and believes that life will be better if the big brains of human beings sink.

Apparently, the author seems to suggest that our intelligence will ultimately lead to the disgrace and destruction of the human race. From a critical viewpoint, the adversities that man’s intelligence can create have already been witnessed in the current world. Weapons, vaccines and other items of mass obliteration are being invented and used upon innocent individuals. Terrorism in contemporary world has become common and leaders are rarely concerned about this demoralizing act. Axiomatically, the author oversimplifies serious matters and makes them appear as ordinary things.

War and death are paradoxically treated making the play rather unconventional and interesting. The illustrious spirit of Leon Trotsky Trout that predominantly features in the play leaves readers wondering on the practicality of ghosts in the current and upcoming generations. However, there is enough melancholy to leave a permanent impact on a reader’s cognizance. Remarkably, Vonnegut writes based on his own opinion and perception of the world, what it is and probably what it will be in imminent future, after the occurrence of WWIII.

He stalwartly expresses his inventiveness, imagination and exceptional way of thinking of Galapogos. “This wry comment on how little most of us were likely to accomplish in life, no matter how long we lived, isn’t my own invention…” (Vonnegut 278). Through his pessimism, the author is suggesting that humanity should evolve backwards to evade the imminent dangers. He portrays the human race as a lost cause that needs to reconsider itself. However, this seems ingenuous and such retrogressive developments may never be embraced as it is a ridicule of the human race.

Rather than expounding on the effects of man’s big brain and the adversities associated with inventions, the author should have elucidated on the best strategies of averting the adversaries.  Work citedVonnegut, Kurt. Galápagos. New York: Dell Publishing, 1999.