Oryx and Crake - Blog Post 1 [Pg 110]

Discuss:
Character development (Oryx, Crake, Snowman), the value of human life, gender/respect for women.


Notes made in class (Page 48)

Oryx and Crake

Notes

Aysha Chaudhry

Pg. 46

Basic Plot:

·      Snowman is Jimmy from the past

·      Both Snowman and Crake were in love with Oryx

·      Jimmy’s has a pet Rakunk, name is killer

·      Crake is “God”

·      Children of Crake (people)

·      Children of Oryx (animals/plants)

·      Jimmy and family live in compound

Family:

·      Jimmy, mother and father

·      Father works in a Genetic research/alteration factory

·      Makes pigs with several of the same organs

·      Works in OrganInc Farms

·      Mother seems to be very distant from the family (the unusual one)

·      Mother and Father fight a lot

·      Mother doesn’t show much emotion further on in the novel

·      Mother has a greater since of morality

·      Jimmy feels like he must get a reaction out of his mother

·      Jimmy does certain things just to see how his mother will react, and congratulates himself upon the results

·      Mother and father try to act as if they are a perfect, flawless family (ideal)

·      ^Fail! Jimmy hates how his mother and father act so fake

Government/Society

·      ­Monitor people within the compounds

·      Pleeblands seem to be like ghettos or “the outside world”

·      Pleeblands are viewed as a pathetic way of life in compounds

·      Security within compound is very tight and strict

·      Most people seem content with the way society is run, except for the odd few (Jimmy’s mom)

Character Development:


Margret Atwood spends a significant amount of time during these first few chapters developing Snowman and Crake's character.  We get to see a bit of Oryx's character but not in detail/depth.  Atwood describes Snowman's family and his interesting childhood, which gives the reader a better idea of why Snowman behaved and felt the way he did in his past, as Jimmy.  Jimmy always wanted to leave a mark on the people who he felt's opinion mattered.  First with his parents, his mom especially, and then with Crake.  As a child, Jimmy felt like he was surrounded by people who were very fake, people who would not express or show their true selves.  Jimmy's mother was "different" in comparison to his father and all of the other people who lived in the compound.  But once the story progressed further, it was clear that Jimmy's mother had a greater moral conscience than others, which in my opinion should not have been viewed in a negative light.  Snowman's past gives the reader a better understanding as to how he thinks and how he feels.  Although there is still more that can be learned about Snowman, Atwood does a good job developing his character from his childhood.  
With Crake the reader is able to build a better understanding of what kind of person he is.  Crake seems like a very omniscient being, or at least he views himself as one.  He is very mature and to a certain extent, emotionless.  The disturbing aspect of Crake is his lack of morality.  Crake and Jimmy both may watch these live suicides, lethal injections, electrocutions, child pornography, and such, but Jimmy feels disgusted with himself at times, whereas Crake laughs at these horrid events.  Yet there's more to Crake.  His personality is so complex, he is such an intricate individual.  He takes screen shots of moments he finds intriguing.  Why he finds these certain moments fascinating? That we do not yet know.  I believe Margret Atwood is slowly letting the characters within her novel, unravel with the progression of the story.  


The Value of Human Life:
For people, regardless of their age, to watch other human beings commit suicide, receive lethal injections, etc, is extremely disturbing.  This only goes to show how immensely corrupt the society is or has become.  There really is no value of human life.  People do not care if innocent individuals are dying or care enough to protest against other humans recording such vile acts.  Instead people enjoy watching such horror.  I understand that Stephan King was trying to make a point as to why people watch horror movies, but there's a difference when you know it is fake.  When something is real, that is disgusting.  For someone to laugh at such a thing is repulsive.  The thought of society lacking empathy and becoming so heartless is revolting.  Margret Atwood's novel, Oryx and Crake, really is a fantastic representation of Dystopia.


03.29_wounded_girl.jpg 

I chose this picture because I believe it exemplifies pain, cruelty, and torture.  All of which Crake would happen to laugh at.  All children are innocent and no single being deserves to be tortured and forced to feel such an immense amount of pain exerted upon ones body.  This child represents innocence that has been crushed, and destroyed.  This picture represents Dystopia.

Yours Truly, yummyichigo;)