Surprises in Apocalypse

I must admit that I have not been truly surprised by any revelation, haha, about apocalypse during this journey. I have had an interesting time exploring just how deep an apocalypse can go. How personal an apocalypse can be. For years I have thought of apocalypse not as an end or necessarily as a beginning either but as a transition in the cyclical nature of time. I suppose if I had to name something that I have begun to more fully understand it is the fact that each and every day, each and every one of us experience apocalypses, be them large or small. Something new is revealed that causes us to look and see in a different way. That is apocalypse, though a small one. Now when doomsayers call out and claim the apocalypse near or here. The response that should be given is "Yes. It always has been. It always will be. We are constantly in the end times. But we are also always in the beginning. What was your apocalypse today?"

Necessity of Apocalypse

Apocalypse is necessary in order to change, whether for good or ill. We grow, change through the apocalypse of our character. Without the apocalypses there would be no change and no rebirth. An apocalypse to me is the destruction or death of one way of being and the start of another, a rebirth. So an apocalypse has to happen for change to occur. Otherwise there is no reason to take another step forward. There has to be a catalyst for change and that is apocalypse. With the apocalypse we introduce the before and after. Version 1 and version 2. Version 1 is reliant on the changes made to version 2 to exist. If there were no version 2 then version 1 would just be version. Like Hell and the Silver City of Neil Gaiman's "Season of Mists" book of the Sandman series. They both need to exist in order for either to exist. Like Saussure says of language, we know what a word is because of what it is not. Everything is tied together based on relation to each other. A dog is a dog because it is not a cat or a pig or a horse or a car. So Hell must exist to give definition and substance to the Silver City. Apocalypse must occur to give definition and substance to Version 1 and 2 and 7, to define all the changes made to an object or person from their beginning, or the beginning of the tracking of change, to the present time. When we begin to stagnate and cease to change that is when we die and even with death change does not stop. Our bodies decay turning into something else. Matter (nor energy) is created or destroyed, merely changes form.

Apocalypse as Revelation

What is an apocalypse in a novel? When we think in terms of novel's being composed of internal struggles and of Human Versus Self most novels could be talked about in terms of apocalypse when the apocalypse is a revelation or more specifically a journey of self-discovery. The apocalypse of a novel is tied into the character and their internal motivations. When a new way of thinking is brought about we frequently call it a revelation or an epiphany, a eureka moment if you will. It's the change in the character of a novel that is the true apocalypse. The moment of alteration and revelation. Eureka!

Not every character can undergo an apocalypse and some start down the path without every being able to complete the journey. It is a harsh trail, often violent, that not every person is able to make it to the other side but for those that do they are forever changed.

Sandman: The Doll's House

I find myself stuck on the issue of degrees of power in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series of graphic novels. We have the siblings of Endless: Dream, Desire, Despair, and Death that have been met so far in the first two books. Focusing specifically on Dream and Desire, both seem to be intricately connected. It could be said that they are in fact the same drive. Both deal with wanting for what are Dreams but our subconscious Desires brought out in sleep. We see Dream as the elder sibling while Desire is very much the epitome of a younger, immature sibling, out of control and with a disregard for anyone he/she/it may harm. So Dream is the elder. Would that mean that he is a more mature element of wanting?

I see it more that they have not been separated enough. Desire is certainly portrayed as being a "villain" in the series, having raped Unity and trying to bring down Dream. I have been thinking of sibling dynamics recently for my own writing and observing how siblings and their interactions are portrayed. I said that Dream and Desire would seem to be the same but that can not be true. There is no reason to have two Endless with similar jobs. So they must be different. Perhaps though, that difference is not evident even to the characters themselves just as they are not readily apparent to the reader. It could be possible the Desire's antagonistic behavior toward Dream is really a Desire to be out of his/her/its brother's shadow. Siblings, especially if they feel overlooked in their family, will go out of their way to be different from their siblings to draw attention to themselves.

Desire acts as a destructive force, forcing changes in thinking out of humanity. Dream allows an escape and a chance, through nightmares, to bring about change in individuals as well but their methods and thus their purposes need to be different. This difference is what is lurking just out of reach and perhaps leading even the characters to strive to find it. Everyone wants to be unique after all.

Cause Versus Symptom

What is the difference between a cause of an apocalypse and a symptom of the apocalypse? We can start with The Children of Men. It is difficult to say what is the cause versus what is merely a symptom. However in PD James' novel we can try to tease out the different strings. We see in the novel evidence of social apathy, greed, and pride. I am using what are known as the "7 Deadly Sins" for convenience. Which of these can be attributed as causing the apocalypse and which are merely symptoms. Cause and effect. In the novel, the apathy is a condition of the apocalypse brought on by greed and selfishness. When Theo is reflecting on the world before the discovery that the human race was barren, he implies that it was mainly himself and his cousin Xan that were so apathetic. The rest of the world still has emotions and seems to attempt civility. True the Council of England says that the crime rate was high however that does not mean that people have stopped caring. It is the greed and focus on the self that is what leads to the struggle for power and then when the people's selfish and individual needs are assured, the apathy comes in. People stop caring about each other. They move without touching. There is no love but the lower crime rate suggests that there are less negative emotions as well. The one thing that does not go away is the desire for power and focus on the self. It was what was there in the beginning and what remains at the end. The apathetic response is just a response to the loss of hope brought on by an awareness that the world is not going to change and gaining material possessions is ultimately useless. The world has to learn to live and think in a different way, without the focus on fleeting material wants.

In Oryx and Crake, it seems to be much the same. The world is racing inexorably towards some sort of a change as the Compounds fight and compete for resources and knowledge. The desire for more, more sex, more alcohol, more knowledge, more power, more money, more patents and genetic monsters, more, more, more! The population becomes more complacent and continues to buy and pay money for the security and technology. They accept the pigoons, the rakunks, the wolvogs, the ChickenNobs, all the ways that humans tried to gain power over Nature itself. Greed and Gluttony and Lust and Pride and Envy and even Wrath or Sloth. People in the Compounds have what we assume are clean golf carts that they do not have to walk around the campuses, porn and sex run rampant, the Compounds are jealous of each other and compete for the technology, addiction seems commonplace and are fed regularly, no one seems content with merely what they have, there is fierce competition for the best schools, and there are aspects of revenge evident in Crake's motive for unleashing the Red Plaque that eventually envelops the world. Sloth, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Envy, and Pride can all be attributed as off-shots of the same Greed from The Children of Men. Without the desire for more, Lust, Gluttony, Envy and Pride would be dead. There would be no competition and no one would need to feel Pride or envy for another's Pride. There would not be over-indulgences. It is the race toward power and control again that brings out and feeds the other Sins and the negative aspects for which Crake decided to destroy humanity. Greed the cause; destruction, apathy, gluttony to effect.

Oryx and Crake

What brings about apocalypse? In Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake it is difficult to say. The novel does not lend itself to an easy interpretation or state clearly and openly the events. However, It does show the perspective of one man through the events and gives us clues as to how to interpret the events. These clues point to a greed and desire for power which is most often one of, if not the, main cause of humankind's downfall at its own hands. Oryx and Crake follows Snowman/Jimmy through his life and through the end to a post-apocalypse. Throughout the novel we see glimpses of scientists and businesses fighting for power among themselves and the ability to control and mold Nature herself into their own image. Humans are on the path attempting to become Gods and it is their desire for control and power that leads to their downfall.

The first time we see glimpses of this path is when Jimmy is a young boy. His father works for a company splicing animal genes together and trying to make pigs that can grow multiple organs for transplants into human bodies. The power comes not only in the obvious way over nature but also in trying to make money and exploit other humans by growing multiples of an organ in a single animal that an regrow those same organs after they have been removed. They are attempting to cash in on other people and earn money which equals power in the world. These pigoons are not the only animals to be created. Human scientists mix so many different animals and genes together that they no longer even resemble the original. It grows worse and worse throughout the novel from pigoons that are pigs spliced with human genes to grow replacment human parts to rakunks, racoons and skunks, to ChickieNobs which are lumps of chicken that are alive but have no head or beak and grow only chicken breasts or drumsticks to be gathered and harvested as fruit from a tree. At one point Crake, who's final acts are what brings about the total collapse, says that if you think of any trait you want, chances are that somewhere nature has already developed it. The scientists are attempting to recreate the world in their own image, to morph it into something else, something better. This world gave rise to Crake.

Crake is often described as being a genius. His genius allows him to see aspects of the world, patterns and such that just reenforce the idea that he is better than the rest of the world and that the world needs to be destroyed. Crake takes pleasure in playing games of power like creating and destroying ancient civilizations and that is praised. It is little wonder that he grows up seeing the wolrd as a playground that he can crush. He wants power as the rest of the scientists and his intelligence allows him to think strategically and to achieve his aims. His quest for power and control and a Godlike prestige are what ultimately lead to him releasing the Red Plaque that destroys most of the world and leaves his own creation, his Crakers, humans made in his image, to live in the ruins.

Is love a cure all?

Last time we talked about the PD James novel The Children of Men in a fairly broad way. This time we will be tackling the question of Rosie the evangelist and her message of love. At the end of the novel, does love act as a cure-all that lasts past the end of the novel, through the apocalypse? If we start by thinking about what it is that love is meant to cure we can figure out whether love managed to cure the society's disease.

When we look at the country shown throughout the beginning of the novel we see a world of apathy and selfishness. Theo as the main character and the viewpoint character has throughout his life admitted to being largely apathetic to other people's emotions and needs. This apathy springs from a selfishness and a desire to not need other people. We also see the Council of England and Xan being especially greedy for power as representatives of the majority of the country. The country and people are said to only want three things: Protection, Pleasure, and Comfort. All very selfish things, focused on the individual self instead of the larger group. Even the Five Fishes are not above selfishness. Rolf, the leader, is only out as a revolutionary because he wants the power of the Warden of England for himself. In fact the only time we see people showing any sort of selflessness is when there is true affection shown to others. Miriam with her brother, Luke toward Julian, and Theo toward Julian and her child. We even see the selflessness and love that humans turn towards animals and inanimate objects with the lack of children or desire for romantic love. Theo's ex-wife shows care to the cat, people have christenings for newborn pets and even treat dolls as objects of affection that need to be cared for.

 So if love is meant to cure selfishness and greed, does it? And then does it stay through the apocalypse? As I said before Love does seem to be the factor influencing the way that people interact with each other. In the last portion of the book we see people sacrificing their lives for love. Luke gives up his life to save Julian and the unborn child. Miriam risks her life and ends up losing it for Julian and the child as well as the love between Theo and Julian. The child is just the ultimate way to make this evident. What is a child but something that, supposedly, has to be loved, in the context of the novel. It seems to be impossible for anyone in the world of the novel to not love a child as their hope. A child is something that has to be loved above the self. It needs a selfless love to grow. If a person is selfish in their relationship with a child, the child will most likely die. Does the love stay through the apocalypse? With the life of the child it has to. Does it cancel out and destroy the selfishness? No. We see when Theo puts on the ring of England and doesn't take it off that the greed and selfish nature of humans is still there. It is impossible to get rid of that negative portion of the human but there is hope in the child and the love that Julian has for both Theo and the child and that Theo, we assume, returns. So the greed is still there. But so is the love. They both persist and will continue as long as there are humans as they are both innately tied to what it means to be human.