Cat's Cradle Chapter 126 Summary

Soft Pipes, Play On

• John calls Bokononism depressing and changes the subject, yet again.
• He decides to praise Julian and Philip Castle for their choice of death, going to the hospital to give whatever aid and mercy they could in the wake of ice-nine. Good on them.
• He also sees "magnificence" in Angela's choice of death (126.5). She played her clarinet with no regard to whether or not it was contaminated by ice-nine.
• It was contaminated though.
• Newt suggests maybe John could "'find some neat way to die, too'" (126.7).
• John recounts his dream. In it, he's climbing Mount McCabe to plant some great symbol at its peak, but he can't picture what that symbol should be.
• He looks out the window in time to see an old black man sitting on the side of the road. He brakes.
• Newt asks what the matter is, and John tells him he just saw Bokonon.