Essay Sample on View of Humanity in Oryx and Crake

Introduction

Oryx and Crake is a science fiction book that seeks to bring the picture of how the world might end. The book pinpoints the failures of human beings how they have lost the sense of humanity. Humans have become self-destructive. It has three main characters Crake, Jimmy, and Oryx. It also seeks to bring out the effects of technology inventions upon humanity. The book depicts how human beings develop characters and the consequences of the characters. It shows how it is hard to propel humanity in a cynical society. The book ends by proving that change is inevitable.

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Humans have become so cold and lack even the tiniest shred of tenderness. Most of the characters in the book murder each other in cold blood while pursuing different interests. The killing of Jimmy's mother was through public execution on an online video. Similarly, Crake kills his lover Oryx in the setting of the text. Crake also is suspected of having killed his mother and stepmother (Summarise 30). Though the presumption is that crake's father commits suicide, later it is discovered that he too was murdered by his superiors. His son is not even emotional about it. It comes to crake's realization that biotechnology not only cured diseases but created more severe illnesses. These biotechnological inventions later wipe out the whole of humanity, leaving only one soul.

Parental roles, too, seems to have been neglected. After the killing of Jimmy's mother, he is left with no one to take care of him and show him the way of life. He meets a friend crake whose father is too occupied with biotechnological inventions, also has no parents to nature his behavior. The two get so mixed in the society effluence. They engage in drugs, watching pornography, and even intimate with prostitutes. The parents have no morals that the kids can emulate, and instead, bad habits are picked up from them. Crake slits his girlfriend's throat probably just like the execution done to Jimmy's mother over an online video. Oryx participates in child pornography videos a clear indication that the parents failed in protecting their daughters against such activities.

Humans are no longer allowed to have their views. Jimmy's mum is victimized and killed for expressing his views. She stands up against biotechnology onslaught. There is slavery, and no one is allowed to be indifferent. Crakes father is likely to have been murdered by his seniors for fear of him revealing the secrets he knew about the biotechnology. Instead, the world is left in the hands of spoilers like Crake, who is a monster, and killing is his only option. Crake here is the real criminal that was entitled to execution and a woman who stood up against the societal rot. He is the one who brings the world to an end with all the humanity executed. He releases a deadly virus in the name of a contraceptive. The contraceptive also disables the ability of humans to reproduce.

In the biotechnological world, everything runs unguarded by rules. There are no limitations and no one to regulate human behavior. One is left asking where the government was when all this happened. The government did not play any role in the prevention of the killings through biotechnology. Similarly, there was no action taken when an eight-year-old Oryx was regarding sexual harassment. The leadership of the setting has not regulation to control the supply of contraceptives to the citizens. In spite of the many murder cases, none of the suspects is convicted of criminal activities against humanity. Further, the use of drugs and substance abuse is on the rise, and there are no measures to help in keeping control. The inhumanity in the book setting can as such be attributed to lack of responsibility of the government.

There are no legal regulations in society in the setting. Guarding of humans by laws and sober execution of such laws is crucial. Humanity is all about standing against vices and not just being aware of them. Jimmy, the hope of the revolution, is human, but he could not act. Instead, he chooses to tack along with it. It feels better to him but not satisfying at all. He understands that sexual immorality is not the way to go, but he still goes ahead to watch eight-year-old pornography (Northover 32). He feels so guilty and hurt, but always, he does nothing. He even depicts a picture of a sex addict a thing that he feels is not right. He engages in drug abuse with his friends, a situation he is not even into. Jimmy accepts a deal in an unethical biotechnology company not because he is unaware of the wrongs in it but just because he has no courage to talk about and maybe bring a revolution. The fact that he was the change needed hits him when it is too late and apocalypse already taking place. He is left all alone to start a whole new world out of crake's creations.

Oryx used to navigate the gender spectrum. Women are meant to bring out the aspect of love and bonding. Instead, women are misused as tools of pleasure by men. An eight-year-old is falling a victim of sexual trafficking. Toby too and Amanda share the same story. This female, later on, is awakened, and in an attempt to stand up for themselves, rape becomes a weapon to bring them under control. The women here are measured by monetary values (Diss. Ghent University 37). Jimmy's mother tries to restore sanity into society, but his idea does not live to see the daybreak. Instead, it leads to her brutal execution. It depicts how women are misused and have no rights in society. Females have no free will over there own lives. There movements and actions are strictly dictated by the males. Later on, crake and Jimmy fall in love with the same woman, and she becomes an object of competition.

Conclusion

However, in the end, not all humanity is lost. There is still hope for a new world with kindness restored. The writer intentionally leaves only Jimmy as the last man standing (Hicks 350). He is the most suitable man that seems at least alright and fit for the task of restoring humanity. Oryx comes in as the Crackers teacher probably to instill some femininity and speak out her oppression. She probably instilled some women empowerment lessons in these creations. It is no doubt that Snowman will instill love, morals. Empathy and liberty into these creations. He will probably bring out his beautiful view of humanity in these beings. He is the only trusted being evident by his mother's last words and crakes too.

Works Cited

Hicks, Jeff. "The Return of the End of the World." (2017): 348-353.

Northover, Alan. "Strangers in Strange Worlds: Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy." Journal of Literary Studies33.1 (2017): 121-137.

PORNOGRAPHY, SEXUAL POWER POLITICS. SEXUALITY AND GENDER IN MARGARET ATWOOD'S ORYX AND CRAKE. Diss. Ghent University, 2018.

Summaries, Bright. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide. BrightSummaries. com, 2019.