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Atwood's Use Of Symbolism In Oryx And Crake

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In Oryx and Crake, Atwood is continuously complex throughout the novel. There are a total of fifteen chapters within the book, each chapter having its own subchapter. The names of each subchapter are significant because it offers some foreshadowing into the chapter and uses syntax to add an element of humor. The use of character names is especially prominent all throughout the book, which can be confusing for some readers, due to the constant nature of switching between the past and present. The novel is written in the third-person omniscient point of view, which allows Atwood flexibility in her writing, because she is able to give more detail than if it is just written in the perspective of Jimmy. It also allows her to constantly and effectively …show more content…

The color green is influential throughout; it symbolizes nature in both the past and present. In the past, it represents the lush plants and in the present, it symbolizes tropical rainforests; thus contributing to the setting as a whole. The color green is also the color of the Crakers eyes symbolizing the use of human science on nature. The plague has wiped out all of mankind, except for Snowman and just about everything else, but everything that still exists is a result of scientific experimentation. Crake is the one who created the Crakers, and their bright green eyes as a result of his desire to make them consume vegetation like rabbits. The juxtaposition between inside and outside is also prominent throughout. Disease plays a big role in this, keeping everything clean “inside” and everything dirty “outside”. For example, “a disease got into you and changed the things inside you” (Atwood 21), here Jimmy’s mom is explaining to him how it is dangerous if a disease gets inside his body because it can rearrange his body and make him ill. “Outside the OrganInc walls and gates and searchlights, things were unpredictable” (Atwood 27). This description contrasts with the “inside” by revealing that the “inside” represent comfort and familiarity, while “outside” represents difficulty and aloofness. OrganInc is protected by barriers to keep diseases out and cleanliness

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