The future is not a happy place in the writing of Margaret Atwood. But then neither is the past or present. Populated with the cruel, the manipulative and the marginalised, her novels combine linguistic beauty with social and personal desolation.
A shrewd observer of human interaction and a writer of consummate skill, Atwood has ventured into the future once before. Her 1990 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale was a departure from her earlier work. The nightmarish world of Gilead evoked the classic futuristic tales Brave New World and 1984. A chilling study of society controlled by theocracy, The Handmaid’s Tale was a picture of dystopia and dysfunctionality.
In Oryx and Crake it’s not religious fanatics who control society, but scientists. And when their experimentation collapses the devastation affects everyone.
The novel begins with Snowman, aka Jimmy, the sole human survivor from an unexplained catastrophe. Forced into subsistence and barely retaining his sanity, he is all but alone. Apart from a variety of genetically engineered crossbreeds (pigoons, wolvogs, bobkittens) who are becoming increasingly feral, his only company are the Crakers.
Named after Jimmy’s best friend Crake, who conceived and created them, these man-made humans are as ignorant of the world as they are ‘perfect’.
Although they are constructed from flesh and blood, the Crakers are programmed beings. Apart from variations in appearance such as hair colour and skin tone, the Crakers are identical. They share the exact same life expectancy, the same shortened period of childhood, the same green eyes. They are incapable of feeling jealousy or joy.
The only point of confusion for the Crakers in their hardwired lives is Jimmy himself. He is the closest thing they have to an intercessor. To them, Crake is the god-like being who gave them life and Jimmy is his prophet.
The novel develops in two time frames. As each day passes in the post-apocalyptic present, Jimmy reveals more of his past and how the Crakers came to be.
As the son of a leading scientist, he grew up on one of the heavily guarded compounds known as The Modules. These areas are owned and controlled by various pharmaceutical or research and development companies. For employees and their families the Modules provide homes, schools, shopping centres and hospitals. Those who don’t live in a compound are residents of the precarious world outside – the pleeblands.
Unfortunately for Jimmy, he is not a ‘numbers person’. As biotechnology and genetic engineering become basic science, the humanities and arts are increasingly marginalised. There is little need for writers and artists – except in advertising.
Although she depicts a shocking and sordid world, Atwood’s futuristic society isn’t entirely unbelievable. Her take on individual and social depravity is painfully incisive. There’s a degree of levity in the names of her companies and products – NooSkins, AnooYoo, OrganInc, Rejooven-Esense, BlyssPluss – but her point is deadly serious. This is a cautionary tale for a society addicted to vanity, greed and self.
Oryx and Crake is critical of modern humanity, particularly in the West. The novel disparages our destruction of the natural world, our perversion of justice and morality, and our distortion of the natural order.
With reference to pedophilia and pornography, Oryx and Crake is often sordid and frequently disturbing. It offers little positive about humans and our capabilities. It depicts an acquisitional era where everything from sex to learning is about power and ownership. Graphic language and descriptions of sex are also confronting and alienating.
Our guide through this ethical quagmire is Jimmy. A fairly debauched and morally dubious individual, Jimmy’s own shortcomings (numerous as they are) begin to fade in comparison with the machinations of Crake and his ilk.
Jimmy is a difficult character. Believable and well-drawn, he is also unappealing. His life and circumstance beg our sympathy, but many readers may be reluctant to give it.
It’s unusual for Atwood to cast a male as her key character. Her novels frequently reflect on female vulnerability and the abuse of women at the hands of men. The perspective is nearly always the woman’s. Her misused woman in this case is the oft-violated Oyrx. But she is a shadow of a character, barely solid.
Alongside the critique of social decay is censure of scientific hubris. Crake is the most obvious contender for this sin, but he’s not alone. His divine ambition, evinced in the Crakers, cannot be considered without reflecting upon God. Crake sought control of his creatures by programming their existence and eradicating free will. The result? Dull, soulless creatures who do not seem human.
Despite the ravages sin has wrought on humankind, we remain creatures made in God’s image. We’re not hardwired and robotic, rather we are instilled with a need to know and be known by our Creator.
