Ice-nine is the hypothetical arrangement of water particles into an unnaturally dense configuration that would resist attempts to melt the ice. This substance was investigated, and produced, in the story to solve the United States Marines' two-hundred-year-old issue of mud. No more water means no more mud. In the story, the ice would have the capacity to get any water in contact with it to freeze at room temperature, turning all drinkable water in the world to ice. In reality, there are fifteen different types of solid water. This is due to both the basic structure of the molecule and the varying conditions that are present in our environment. At ten-thousand times the normal pressure of the air and -278 degrees Fahrenheit, a real ninth ice structure is formed. This does not share the same mythic properties as Vonnegut's.
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| A diagram showing the conditions that form different types of ice |
Like molecules in the tight ice, the people of Vonnegut's creation are never isolated. Particles that form ice are very closely packed and are forced to interact with many others in their molecular neighborhood. As an example of the incredible density of relevant characters, on the plane flight to San Lorenzo were two children of Dr. Felix Hoenikker, the subject of the book, two statesmen of the narrator named Hazel and Lowe Crosby, a couple of bike manufacturers from Evanston, Illinois, and a picture of Monz Aamons Monzano, the narrator's true love. All these characters tug at all other characters with their influence, mimicking
Much like the cold, huddled masses present in ice-nine, the Cold War froze the surface of the world. Perhaps the war-seasoned author had a bold statement to make about the role of atomic weapons in the end of the world. It is quite clear from the beginning that the book concerns atomic weapons, but unexpected that Vonnegurt would claim that the ultimate end would come by frigid relations between nations. The possibility that such an end - a massive freeze - could happen seems unrealistic, and so Vonnegut adopts a humorous and fantastic tone to fit.
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| The real ninth form of ice: less dense and far less exciting Discovered by Whalley et al. in 1968 |
Vonnegut's brother was a physical chemist with a doctorate from the Massachusetts institute of Technology. His brother studied ice formation, most likely the source of inspiration for the little story.
Many instances of Thomas Foster's literature-reading criteria are present in the novel. In fact, they seem very meticulously set up. Of course every act of an author is strictly intentional, but it is a surprise nonetheless the bold and direct way the narrator shovels these archetypes into our hands. On one such incident, the narrator remarks about the gravity of Bokonon's landing on an island. The text details the character "emerging naked from salt water. It was a rebirth for him"(Vonnegut 107). I am certain that no more direct extension of Foster's principles has ever been made.
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| This is the normal crystal structure of ice The unit Å is equal to 10 x 10^-10 meters Image from the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science |
In another case, the narrator dwells considerably on a recurring phrase in a newspaper article. He announces that "the phrase reeked of cannibalism" and that "'Papa' plainly felt that frank was a chunk of the old man's magic meat"(Vonnegut 82).Although vampire is tempting, the possibility of a zombie archetype is more plausible. Blood is he fodder of vampires, but the aforementioned "magic meat" is quite different. The fictional Island of San Lorenzo is in the Caribbean the birthplace of zombie folklore. Also, the idea of resurrection is present in the novel in regard to the immediate and unpredictable reappearance of one of Dr. Hoenikker's children after they are presumed dead. Ice-nine acts like a wave of the zombie apocalypse, permanently immobilizing and altering the world's water population.
