Oryx & Crake: Blog 1

Summary:

The book starts out by introducing Snowman in a mysterious way. We learn that he lives on a beach, surrounded by the children of Crake [Crakers]. These kids constantly question Snowman about the past, showing him treasures that they have found and asking if they will harm them. These children are beardless and possess green eyes, however each of them are of different skin colors. We also first learn of Oryx, who seems to be his lover.

Snowman constantly has revisions, making him appear un-human. He also seems to have memory relapses that are uncontrollable. We learn about his childhood and his parents. The switch between the OrganInc. compound to the NooSkins compound. We hear of his unbalanced home life, of the constant moral battle and depression his mother undergoes. These feelings of guilt and the uncomfort with her way of life leads Jimmy’s mom to leave the compound. She destroys her and Jimmy’s fathers computers, organizes a way out and ultimately escapes the prison that binds her. With her she takes a rakunk, Killer, who is Jimmy’s much loved “best friend”. After his mother leaves, Jimmy’s father moves on quickly to his co-worker Ramona, who becomes his step-mother.

In the absence of a friend, we meet Glenn. Together they play board games such as Blood and Roses, strategy games that require thought. Glenn talks robotic, stiff in his sentences. They move through an array of games including Extinctathon, where Glenn gets his nickname Crake after a rare bird. As they get older, they outgrow these games and begin to surf explicit material on the internet using Uncle Pete’s login [Uncle Pete is Crake’s step-father]. Usually Crake and Jimmy search porn and smoke pot. One day in march, they were doing as usual when Jimmy sees Oryx for the first time. She seemed to be eight at the time, and had stared into the screen, seemingly at Jimmy. This is something that he could never forget [later he learns that this is Oryx].

We then experience present once again when Snowman is served his weekly fish by the children of Oryx. These children seem to be different then the ones of Crake but it is yet clear what that difference is. The women look like re-touched fashion photos, no unwanted fat or body hair. The people of Oryx and Crake don’t shed blood of any animal, together they share in the killing of Snowman’s weekly fish. Here we also learn that they smell of citrus fruit, a change to keep the mosquitoes away, designed by Crake.

Thoughts:

So far the story seems to finally be coming together, there are less gaps then before, therefore less confusion. Oryx’s, Crake’s and Snowman’s relationships are clear. It seems that Snowman is attached to Oryx sexually, however Crake seems to have won her. Snowman and Crake are former best friends but had a difference/disagreement that set them on different paths.

I’m still confused when it comes to the difference between the children of Oryx and the children of Crake. They may be as simple as female vs. male just as the children of Adam and the children of Eve.

Oryx still seems to be a confusing character. She seems to resemble Jimmy’s mother in the fact that she doesn’t believe in what was going on in the compounds. She has made her children vegans, and created them without self image issues. She seems to be trying to better the world. Yet she is with Crake, who wants to reform the world instead of better it.

Society in Oryx and Crake is quiet, no one says anything. No one objects to the events that happen within the compounds, the reactions of individuals are always the same. Everyone obeys, more than likely in fear of what would happen if they didn’t.

This picture represents the silence of society. The lack of anyone speaking out to save the simple world they had. Now human kind lays in shreds at the feet of atrocity.

“evil is when a few good men decide to do nothing”