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.

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.