Oryx And Crake Character Analysis

The book Oryx and Crake, written by Margaret Atwood was published in May of 2013. The novel takes place in a futuristic world where a plague has wiped out the human population except for one man that goes by the name Snowman. This story follows the past and present life of Snowman, once known as Jimmy. Throughout the novel, the causes of the apocalypse are gradually unveiled. In Snowman’s past, he is referred to as Jimmy, this being before the destruction of other human life. Jimmy was born into a world filled with rapid scientific advancements. He became familiar with genetic modification at a young age. His father worked at a big name company that created pigs meant to grow and harbor human organs within their own bodies so that they can

Jimmy was saved from his loneliness by the arrival of a new kid named Glenn. The story is told in the memories of Snowman so Glenn is known as Crake throughout. Unlike Jimmy, Crake is incredibly intelligent and excelles in school. Despite their differences, the two form a strong friendship. The boys spend their time together on various illegal websites and playing video games in Crake’s room. After graduating high school, the two split ways, Crake going to a prestigious college while Jimmy to a less respected school. The two still keep in touch occasionally, Crake even inviting Jimmy to view the marvels of his school. On this visit, Crake reveals to Jimmy sensitive information that he has known. Apparently, many big name companies are creating and releasing fatal bioforms so that they can gouge money from ailing patients in need of a

Crake is very successful within the compound, working in his own unit called Paradice with the goal of creating immortality. To do this, Crake explains to Jimmy that the first step is to distribute a pill called BlyssPluss to the public with the purpose to eliminate “external causes of death” such as war, economics and religion. The pill is disguised as a supplement meant to improve the sexual activity of the user, but instead taking it causes a fatal disease that is contagious. Crake is solely in charge of the second step of the project called the Paradice project. To complete the project, Crake had hired a handful of scientists with a special talent with genetic splicing. With the scientists, Crake was able to create a completely new species that look and talk like humans, but are made “perfect”. Jimmy names this species of people “Crakers.” The Crakers are designed to lack imperfections such as feelings of fear and jealousy while possessing various survival mechanisms such as an enhanced immune