Jeff Kennedy READ 3350-001 The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer 1) In the not so distant future, The House of the Scorpion, takes place in the country of Opium. This country lies between the United States and Aztlan, formerly known as Mexico. Within these borders we follow the life of a young boy named Matteo Alacran, who happens to be a clone. Not only is Matt a clone, but he happens to be the clone of the 143 year old dictator of Opium, El Patron. Since he is the copy of the most powerful man in the country Matt is given certain privileges and a wealthy upbringing, and yet because he is a clone Matt is looked down upon as second class individual by the members of El Patron’s family. It is not until later in his life that Matt realizes that the reason he is treated that way by the Alacran family is because his total existence, the reason he was created, is to provide El Patron with donor organs to prolong his life even further. The House of the Scorpion delves into the ethics behind scientific advancements and the …show more content…
The ethics that are practiced are seemingly immoral, and yet widespread and commonplace in some cases. Clones, like Matt, are “declared an unperson” (Farmer, 2002, p. 367) in society, and are therefore allowed “to be slaughtered like chickens or cattle” (Farmer, 2002, p. 367) for their organs. At birth they are supposed to have their minds destroyed so that they become like an animal, all the more aligning with the view of them being similar to livestock. Yet, Matt is an exception to this since he was allowed to keep his intelligence. Therefore as the reader, we are able to see Matt as a human being and not as the dirty clone almost everyone views him as. He is able to feel emotion, gain understanding, and feel a sense of spirituality. We see from who Matt truly is and what society is trying to tell him what he is, is that science is trying to define