The Children of Men

An apocalypse is, simply put, a disaster. It changes the world. Depending on the kind of apocalypse or disaster, the change can occur differently. In PD James' novel The Children of Men the apocalypse is a biological one. In the novel, human beings ceased being able to procreate in the year 1995. Twenty years later, everything has changed in the way the society views life. There is no hope for a future and the race is doomed. Death has become common place with the rise of mass suicides and the remaining survivors huddle in cities and towns. Hope has dwindled as the last generation, called Omegas, are now adults and there is no sign of pregnancy.

The society's values have both shifted giving rise to a new world view in the civilization. The society, shown as that of Britain, is now dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure with state run porn shops and spas specifically for the elite catering to physical pleasures such as periodic massages. The society has become largely apathetic and in some instances hostile toward people who still cling to their small hopes. At one point in the novel there is a woman with a small doll that she treats as a real child and another woman, the reader can assume in a rage, smashes the doll. The second woman is angry at the reminder that there is no hope of a child being born either to her or to the world in general. The main character Theo Faron is mostly apathetic in the novel and it is said that he has always felt that way in his life. That apathy that Theo has lived with for his entire life is reflected in the narrator and in the way the rest of the society has degraded after the Omega. People now only desire "protection, comfort, pleasure" according to Theo. There is not a push to acquire as there will be no one to remember it after death.

At the end of the novel, Theo has been involved with the first birth in twenty years. His apathy has, presumably disappeared as he grows to love the new mother, Julian. The birth of this new child will hopefully be enough to bring the entire world out of its apathetic state. The biological apocalypse has finally, presumably ended with this new birth and a new world is rising out of the ashes of the old. The twenty year period can then be seen as a transitory period beginning with the Omega and the last generation and and ending with the new birth and a new world which will have a new worldview and a new system of values. One world has ended and a new begins. The years between merely bridging the gap from one to the other, showing that an apocalypse and shift does not always occur instantly.

This is of course a topic worthy of much more discussion and thought however for the time being I believe this is enough. Comments and discussion are always welcome. Please feel free to ask me questions and to challenge me on any point.