Oryx and Crake Characters

A Chill Chat about Characters

The main character Snowman in Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake is a survivor of a global pandemic. With a unique name like Snowman, it’s expected for the character to be a tad complex. There are a few brief mentions of his parents, Crake, and some other less important side characters, though Snowman appears to primarily be the focus of the novel. 

From what I've gathered in the first few chapters of the book, Snowman is a sentimental character. He keeps things like his "authentic-replica Red Sox baseball cap" as a reminder of what life was like before the pandemic (4). He also recites things to himself like quotes from before but he’s slowly beginning to forget the endings, meanings, and where they came from. Snowman appears to be doing these sentimental things in an attempt to keep the memory alive of what life was like before the world went to ruins, perhaps something that motivates him to survive. The baseball cap seems to be of great importance, but Margaret Atwood has yet to reveal why this baseball cap holds such sentimental value to Snowman.

Another conclusion I've drawn from the book is Snowman was a cheeky yet caring boy before the pandemic. One scene in particular that solidified this idea was the interactions between him and his mother. Jimmy, also known as Snowman, seems to desperately want his mother's approval, and if he can't get her approval he settles for a reaction. Jimmy asks his mother for a cat and begins to bicker with his mother after she says no, only for Jimmy to trick her into saying he can have nothing and responds with "I can't have nothing! So I get to have something! What do I get to have" (32). His mother even tells him he's "a pain in the ass" (32). Don’t get it twisted though, he still cares for her and feels the need to please her by making her laugh and showing his appreciation when she made his preferred sandwich combo, peanut butter, and jelly. As I dive deeper into the novel, only time will tell if he’s still that same boy from before the epidemic.

Something I found interesting was Snowman's connection and sympathy towards the pigoons. In a flashback, it’s revealed that Jimmy doesn’t want to eat anything made of pigoon at the cafe with his father and Ramona because “he thought of the pigoons as creatures much like himself” (24). The connection he feels between the pigoons and himself is mentioned again later on when Snowman recalls a few other memories from life before the disease struck. He remembers burnt animal carcasses and how he felt bad he hadn’t done anything to save them and another time where he refers to himself as the pigoons friend because he sings to them. All these memories prove how deeply connected he feels with the pigoons. Margaret Atwood mentions a variety of animals in the first few chapters but I have a feeling the pigoons play a more important role rather than just being connected to the disease. 

Though she only has a few mentions, his mother appears to have some kind of importance in the novel other than just being in his flashbacks. In the scene mentioned before, Jimmy is pushing her buttons and at the mention of "why not", something triggers his mother. Another scene that stuck out was when Jimmy asked if she was infected and she responded with "maybe I am" but leaves it at that (31). I believe something happened to his mother which explains why she appears to be absent from reality and goes through mood swings of being happy and reverting back to being void. Hopefully, the role of his mother will play a significant part in plot development or Snowman’s character. 

All in all, I’m excited to see what Margaret Atwood has in store for the remainder of the novel. As of right now, Snowman appears to be a normal boy with a few defining characteristics but perhaps Atwood has more in store for him in terms of character development as we move forward.