The novel Oryx & Crake is a tale describing a world vastly contrasting from society today, although it is not too far from a possible future. This story is told from the perspective of the character snowman, possibly the only human survivor after (what we believe to have occurred) an apocalypse. His tale, recounting the details of the finals days of human history, describes a world where technology is the main source of power in all existence. The theme of this novel is greatly influenced by governmental control and the dangers of technology.
The topic of government control is a very important factor to the novel overall. In regard to the compounds in Oryx and Crake, every individual and movement is closely monitored by security known as the CorpSeCorps. You could say that the reason this security is needed is to protect the compounds from outer danger, but in reality it is probably to protect the citizens from the dangers within the walls of the compounds. Jimmy plays a key role in an investigation after his mother flees; this is an example of the influence the security has on the lives of these people. Every single movement is perfectly monitored in order to discover any new findings that could lead to the mother’s whereabouts.
Scientifically speaking, technology is something that makes life easier, however in this novel, technology is something that begins to complicate the lives of many individuals and creates a large divide in social class (in Jimmy’s perspective). Atwood examines the development of science and technology in this novel, for an example genetic engineering, which plays an important role with the creation of the transgenic animals.
As the novel progresses, the term technology begins to complicate and entirely transforms into a serious matter of morality. Is scientific technology morally neutral in regard to this Novel?
No comments:
Post a Comment