Oryx & Crake - Meaning of the Work

What Does it All Mean?

Here we are folks, I've finally finished the book! I'm not quite sure how to feel however, this book was packed with some heavy content and an incredible plot. I overall enjoyed the book, I think it's a captivating novel but would middle school me appreciate the book? Absolutely not. Complex books weren't really my thing at the time, I was into cliche high school romance books. I'm glad I read this book once I matured so I could appreciate it and see the book for what it was. 

Moving on, let's dive deep into this book and talk about what the meaning behind it. This book is obviously about the potential downfall of a STEM society. With the Pigoons (genetically engineered pigs), rakunks (a cross between a skunk and a raccoon), the "twenty thick fleshy tubes" that are supposed to be chickens, and lastly, the Crakers (202). I'd say STEM is a crucial element in the overall meaning. 

Science and math are also a key element. People are seen as important if they're in a science and math field and those who aren't too keen on numbers and technology are at a disadvantage, such as Snowman. 

Defining what it means to be human is something I took away from this book. Things like art and literature have become meaningless to society with the rise in STEM. Jimmy considers himself a "word person" in a STEM based community, seeing himself as inferior but it's actually what humanizes him and sets him apart from the rest. His constant repetition of words and quotes from before the apocalypse are slowly being forgotten and don't evoke the same feelings form before. 

Sure, the Craker's are considered to be "the perfect human", but are they even really human? They were created to be perfect but lacked everything that made them truly human. There was no interest in language and arts I consider Jimmy human because he allows himself to feel, to look at things from from a perspective that isn't STEM based, much like the human population.

 I find the situation ironic because it's mentioned at one point that Crake removed everything he disliked about society, including religion. However, the Crakers worshipped Crake as if he were god, partake in organized practices such as the breeding ritual, and are named after their creator and "god". Ironic isn't it? 

One quote that tied this idea altogether for me was "on some non-conscious level, Snowman must serve as a reminder to these people, and not a pleasant one: he's what they may have been once." (somewhere in chapter 5). Snowman is the only one who saw the beauty of the world from a deeper level than science and numbers. The Crakers may be engineered to be perfect humans, but Snowman's the only one who can humanize them, show them the beauty of life. 

To bring these ideas together, Atwood using a combination of flashback and allusion. Snowman's references the "Blood and Roses" game him and Crake used to play when they were in high school. The blood represents the dark side of humanity such as Bergen-Belsen while the roses represents the good like the Mona Lisa (78).  The goal of the game is to have the most human achievements by the end of the game. The game is used as a reminder that humanity has done both good and bad and that we can make up for our mistakes by trying to better ourselves and prevent things like this from happening again.

Flashbacks are another literary device used in Oryx and Crake. Atwood uses flashbacks to develop her ideas and fill in plot holes. In present time, Snowman is alone with the Crakers after the rest of the population was killed by Crake. As mentioned in a previous post, Snowman uses his memories to keep him sane and push forward. Oryx, Crake, his mother, his father and all the memories associated with them are what keep him alive. He remembers the peanut butter and jelly sandwich his mom made him, looking at the pigoons with his father, his talks with Oryx, his time with Crake, all of it. 

I would say a lot of the meanings in this book apply to our world today. STEM is advancing everyday, for better or worse I'm not quite sure. There are many advantages to STEM but there's always the possibility of something going wrong and that's what Atwood's trying to say in this book. Similar to The Handmaid's Tale, she's reminding us of the potential turn society could take if we're not careful.