Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood | Teen Ink

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

February 14, 2016
By Elaineshao PLATINUM, Shanghai, Other
Elaineshao PLATINUM, Shanghai, Other
32 articles 2 photos 2 comments

    The speculative novel Oryx and Crake was written by the novelist Margaret Atwood. The plot revolves around the protagonist Jimmy, also known as Snowman, and his past and present life. The entire novel is full of misery and loneliness which causes discomfort in its readers. 
    In the exposition, Atwood depicts a desolate world filled with the ruins of buildings and frightening genetically modified animals such as pigoons and skunks. Amidst them, Snowman is the only human survivor from the past as the other “humans” are also genetically modified into a perfect species. In order to live, he must sleep atop a tree branch and eats the little food he can gather. Psychologically, he suffers great solitude and emptiness. Each time I recall this part of the book, the happiness in my heart vanishes and is replaced with the horrible coldness of human isolation. Coupled with these images, as the story gradually unfolds, it begins to take a further dark turn into obscenity and bloody killings. These leave me with a heavy heart for the future.
Thus, the novel describes an inevitable and incurable future without the possibility of hope where humans make cold use of technology to change the creations of God, hence, finally becoming extinct by their own creations. Although this piece is fictional and imaginative, it can be a nightmare for contemporary readers. But, it does raise integral questions: what will the future be? Will it be better or worse than it is now? My initial hopes for the future are demolished after reading Oryx and Crake. After reading it, those hopes have vanished and my mind is full of chaos. So, if I were asked if I truly enjoyed this book, I would honestly say I do not recommend it to those who have a utopian or optimistic view of our future world.


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