Exploring dystopia: An analysis of Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake

Von Lea Aures

The United Nations report 2019 warns of mass extinction. One million species might vanish from our earth within the next years. Thoughtless human action is largely to blame for this development. Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake, published in 2003, predicted the situation we currently find ourselves in. This paper is an analysis of characteristic themes in Oryx and Crake with regard to the warnings they convey to us as well as to future generations.

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: neobooks
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2. Feb. 2022
• ISBN: 9783754184172

Buchvorschau

Table of contents

1.Introduction

2. Summary

3. Biography

4. Genre

5. Stylistic devices

5.1. Narrative technique

5.1.1. Narrative perspective

5.1.2. Narrative timeline

5.1.3. Additional narrative thread

5.2. The choice of names

5.2.1. Names of the main characters

5.2.2. Names of brands and companies

6. Implementation of characteristic themes

6.1. Language

6.2. Religion

6.3. Power

7. Margaret Atwood's admonition to future generations

7.1. Environment

7.2. Genetic engineering

8. Conclusion

Bibliography

1.Introduction

[The bonds that] hold nature together may be at risk of unraveling (internet source 6).The United Nations report 2019 warns of a mass extinction. One million species might vanish from our earth within the next years. Thoughtless human action has caused this development that will surely have serious consequences for human beings as well as the rest of life on Earth (internet source 6). (cf. internet source 6)

Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake, published in 2003, predicted the situation we currently find ourselves in. Atwood is not a scientist working with statistics and probabilities. She is an author creating fictional situations. She could have chosen a more comfortable topic. So what was her intention in writing Oryx and Crake? That is the question this paper is meant to answer. Based on this question the following aspects are going to be discussed: How did Margaret Atwood's life influence her writing? Which formal elements did she use in Oryx and Crake to transfer her message? What are characteristic themes of Atwood's novels and how are they implemented in Oryx and Crake? In what way can Oryx and Crake be seen as an admonition to future generations?

2. Summary

Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake tells about