Date of Award
1991
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Abstract
The individual's search for absolute order and meaning within a chaotic universe is an important theme in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut. In Sirens of Titan, Malachi Constant unwillingly undertakes this futile quest and is consequently victimized, philosophically and psychologically, by various agents and symbols of chaos. After spiraling outward into the chaotic cosmos, his simplistic beliefs revealed to be illusion, Malachi spirals back to himself and to Earth, literally and figuratively, only to confront the illusions within. In addition, the form of Sirens of Titan can be seen as a metaphor for meaninglessness, mirroring and echoing Malachi Constant's and the reader's absurd call for clarity within chaos.
Extent
59 p.
Recommended Citation
Barney, David Lawrence, "Chaos in Kurt Vonnegut's "Sirens of Titan"" (1991). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999. 147.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_4/147
Identifier
FADT14727
Comments
FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Adviser: William Coyle.|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1991.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection