Oryx and Crake Style

A Sweet Chat about Style

Margaret Atwood has a unique sense of style in terms of writing, after reading her book The Handmaid's Tale, her novel Oryx and Crake is just another example of that.

The book bounces in and out of flashbacks and the present, leaving the reader with questions that may or may not be answered in the following chapters. The book is told through an omniscient third person point of view which fills in the blanks of the story. Atwood uses a very cynical tone throughout the book. When considering the circumstances, this makes sense due to life being completely uprooted by disease, leaving the survivors with practically nothing. Her cynical tone is accompanied by sophisticated word choice and imagery in her work. 

Something I've noticed throughout the book is how much sex and genitals are mentioned. You can imagine my surprise when I was only forty-one pages into the book and read the word “big butt” and the inappropriate string of words that followed (41). In another scene, Snowman begins to fantasize and touch himself to the thought of Oryx (110). Snowman seems to use his sexual fantasies of women to cope with his current situation.

Later on, Snowman stumbles upon a Craker mating meeting followed by a vivid description about how their “penises turned bright blue to match the blue abdomens to the females, and they do a sort of blue-dick dance number, erect members waving to and fro in unison…” (165). It was as if I was there witnessing this with Snowman because Atwood’s description was so graphic, truly an incredible author. 

I find the use of sex and genitals in this novel interesting, I believe this will contribute to the plot of the book as I move forward. How it will contribute I’m not quite sure, but it would be a little strange if Atwood kept mentioning these things only for it to be somewhat useless to the development of the novel. This point, however, helps me transition smoothly into my next topic of discussion, the establishment of gender roles.

As mentioned before, I read The Handmaid's Tale, another novel written by Margaret Atwood. Gender roles are something Atwood likes to play with when it comes to writing and manages to do so in this novel. The distinction between genders is made abundantly clear once we learn more about Oryx and who she is. 

Towards the beginning of the book, there’s a scene about Snowman dreaming of Oryx “floating on her back in a swimming pool, wearing an outfit that appears to be made of delicate white tissue-paper petals” (43). Flowers usually represent femininity while the color white represents innocence and purity. In Oryx’s backstory, it mentioned she would sell flowers to tourists, Atwood strategically used these words to create the feminine and tender aura surrounding Oryx.

As we dive further into the book, it's revealed that Oryx has a mysterious and alluring nature along with an almost angelic and doll-like appearance with a small and fragile build. Her beauty was soon discovered to be dangerous after a predator manipulated her into touching him. Her uncle then started orchestrating a sex industry scam with her as his puppet. Her physical appearance fits the beauty standard, a very feminine and soft look.

I would characterize Oryx as nurturing and optimistic despite her past. Oryx tells Jimmy about being roped into the sex industry and Jimmy is not pleased with this to which Oryx tells him, "we should think only beautiful things" (144). Oryx is meant to embody the ideal woman, she's mother-like and maintains an alluring and mysterious vibe. She's like the poster child of femininity and her role appears to be more so distinguished compared to the other characters mentioned in the book. They just kind of exist while Oryx exists. 

I'm excited to see what Atwood has in store for her character, it's mentioned that Snowman occasionally hears Oryx's voice in his head. It kind of reminds me of the little devil that appears on people's shoulders. I think she's complex and I'd like to do a deeper analysis of her character, I can't wait to see more of her. 

One important and recurring motif throughout the novel is the use of memories. This seems to be another coping mechanism for Snowman as he uses it to keep himself afloat in the dreary conditions he's forced to live in. Even with his cynical attitude, he recalls old nursery rhymes and quotes along with memories of Oryx and his family. The past seems to ground Snowman and keep him alive. 

I have a feeling this book will soon become a favorite of mine, I'm beginning to develop a soft spot for speculative fiction novels. Or I'm just a developing a soft spot for Margaret Atwood. Either way, I'm excited to finish this book!