Oryx and Crake Summative

Written by Cathy Jing  Margaret Atwood is an author who enjoys keeping readers in suspense, which is certainly true for   Oryx and Crake.   Even though we are already halfway through the novel, we still have yet to discover what epidemic destroyed most of human civilization. For the many little details we know about the story, it is difficult to create theme statements about the novel thus far. Because of this, I will focus on the major theme topics, speculating which direction Atwood could be taking. The supportive evidence is based on everything up until “Asperger’s U.” The Domination of Numbers over Words We have mentioned this subject in a couple of our blog posts already, but without relating it to a central theme in the novel. The many lengthy descriptions on big scientific research companies like HelthWyzer, and what little respect a humanities college has (the college “had found itself without a very convincing package to offer” [Atwood 229]) bo...

Crakers The Children of Crake are a fascinating insight into the nature of the id, ego and superego. In many ways, they are the perfect balance between the id and the ego. The id, which governs over biological impulses such as the need to reproduce, eat and sleep, dictates the majority of the Crakers’ behaviour. Their actions, like peeing in a circle, eating and re-digesting plants, and purring over their wounded, all have biological purposes. Even their sexual activity is done until the woman in heat is pregnant. However, if a person completely indulged their id with no regard to society around them, the world would fall into chaos. This is where the ego comes in. The ego is the function of the brain that decides which desires to fulfill, and which desires to not fulfill. It strives to fulfill the needs of the id whilst maintaining order and obeying laws. Though the Crakers don’t appear to have laws, they do have a very orderly, peaceful society. Their community seems to ope...

As I continue to delve into Snowman’s world, I grow more and more intrigued by his character. Atwood continues to build Snowman’s character and reinforce his already known traits by using the voice of Jimmy from the past and through Snowman's present day narration. In today’s blog post I will analyze a passage narrated, of course, by Snowman. This passage adds depth to and reveals a lot about Snowman’s character, which I think is important and it is why I chose to explore it. But first, I will give a bit of context as to what has just happened prior to the passage I chose. Essentially, it is nighttime and the wolvogs are hovering near Snowman’s tree. Snowman angrily throws an empty bottle in their direction in hopes of sending them away. Next, he begins to think about the past, more specifically about a saying he heard that begins with “Star light, star bright” and that leads me right into the passage which I have chosen... The passage p.109-110 “Who gives a rat’s ass?” say...

    Oryx and Crake isn’t a story about Marxism. It never mentions the Proletariat and does not touch on the Bourgeoisie, at least not with those words. It doesn’t discuss Communism and doesn’t address a utopian future without labour. But, if you gaze at it obliquely, Atwood’s novel begins to run parallel to some Marxist ideas—not because of some hidden agenda on her part, but because Marxism, for all its flaws, addresses some fundamental truths. And drawing parallels is an interesting exercise, both literarily and politically.     One of Marx’s most famous quotes is, “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle.” He wasn’t wrong. Class permeates the world, and there have always been (will always be?) societal strata. The near-future world of Oryx and Crake is no different. The highest echelons of society are not visible to the reader: we never see the billionaires who run the companies, even though they must certainly ...

Critical Response to Oryx and Crake           The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was certainly an interesting novel, if nothing else. From the flowing stanzas of poetry that erupted mid-chapter to the scarily realistic, yet somewhat fictional setting of a religious fundamentalist America, it was certainly a novel that knew how to engage and draw the reader in. For these reasons I expected a similarly gripping and chilling read from another one of her dystopian novels, Oryx and Crake , and so far I am far from disappointed. In fact, in my opinion, this novel starts of even stronger than Handmaid . The descriptions of the setting and background of nearly every aspect of Snowman's previous life is dripping with atmosphere and foreshadowing. But that's enough of my opinion, let's examine what some professional critics have to say about this novel.                     First up, I examined  Lisa Appi...

Written by Cathy Jing From the very first chapter, Margaret Atwood immediately dives into the desolate world in Oryx and Crake , giving glimpses of what the world has become. This is a place where “nobody nowhere knows what time it is” (6), where the land is littered with piano keys and tins of motor oil, where there are no signs of civilization. In this bleak setting, our main character Snowman survives alone. At the end of the first chapter, his loneliness is perfectly captured, creating both pathos and suspense that encourages readers to continue reading. In today’s blog post, I will explore the literary devices found at the end of chapter one. Or worse, some girl he knows, or knew, will come walking towards him through the trees, and she’ll be happy to see him but she’ll be make of air. He’d welcome even that, for the company.  He scans the horizon, using his one sunglassed eye: nothing. The sea is hot metal, the sky a bleached blue, except for the hole burnt in it by t...

Literary Lens: Psychological Criticism One of the first things I noticed in Oryx and Crake is the personal tone in which the story is narrated. It is similar to the Handmaid’s Tale in that such honest narration gives us deep insight into the characters’ psychology. Because of this, I chose to analyze Jimmy’s psychology in the first section of the novel. The most influential force on Jimmy’s psychology in this section is his relationship with his parents. Jimmy’s first memory reveals much about how the conflict between his parents has affected him from a young age. He remembers his father talking business at a bonfire, an early sign that there was limited time for Jimmy in his father’s schedule. He then goes on to recount that this bonfire led him to cut his hair off and light it on fire. He also describes the fight that it prompts between his parents. After the fight, each parent makes a clear attempt to gain Jimmy’s favour, his father giving him ice cream and his mother takin...