Choosing A Name In Margaret Atwood's 'Crakers'

Jimmy and Snowman. Glenn and Jimmy. Crakers. Margaret Atwood had the choice to choose from so many names, so why choose a name which is of two characters that die and it is not even their real name. It is understandable that perhaps the name Crake is used because Crake is the reason for this catastrophic world in which Snowman exists. Another explanation for Crake’s name is he is a big character throughout the whole story and is present in Jimmy’s life from very early age. But why Oryx with it? She is a character is present only at the end of Jimmy’s life, so why name the book on her? Margaret Atwood is very intentional in having Oryx name in the book title. It’s not only because she is very important in Snowman’s memories but because Margaret

When Jimmy approaches her about her picture from the porn video, initially she declines states it is not her. But when she asks Jimmy, “It might be me. Maybe it is. Would that make you happy, Jimmy?” (91)2. One might think that maybe the adult Oryx has pushed all these memories away to forget the horrible past she had. But this conversation makes it clear that Oryx in fact remembers everything. Oryx’s abuse as a child has had a profound impact on her development as an adult. In a research published by American Journal of Psychiatry, reported from a study conducted on women who went through sexual abuse and those who went through emotional abuse3. It was revealed that if it was a sexual abuse then the brain interfered with the development of processes of input from body to create sensations and perceptions. This meant that when those women grew up they had reduced desire and sensation. Unlike women with emotional abuse, who had brain interference with understanding and controlling emotions and recognizing and responding to feelings of others. Oryx, who was abused sexually and emotional shows all these

But for Oryx’s it is not just some aspects of her brain which are under developed but she does not have a personality to herself. Oryx is simply a sexual object which lacks any thoughts, ideas, expressions, feelings and any sort of outward reaction. In the world of Jimmy and Crake, Oryx is a sex doll. Oryx never shares any opinion or thought of her own. She is considered a mystery because we don’t know much about her but the truth is there is nothing more to it. Oryx does not have a real identity, her life of being sexually and emotionally abused by men has led to her never developing an identity, just a body