Characters In Oryx And Crake

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Ricky Tang Contemporary Non-Fiction Mr. Scot Slaby 19 Oct 2015 Oryx and Crake: An Imbalanced Social Hierarchy Imagine going to work in one of the toughest areas of the city after graduating from a poorly endowed college, only to realize your best friend has everything together: an in-demand skill set, elite education, and a prestigious job in one of the most high-regarded areas of the city. It is just such a story in Margaret Atwood’s literary masterpiece Oryx and Crake; Jimmy portrays a lower class citizen living in the pleeblands (the slums) while Crake an elite living in a high profile gated community. Told through the perspective of Snowman (future Jimmy), this novel sees Jimmy and Crake’s friendship stumble over the years after high school.…show more content…
Atwood satirizes our society’s values for one skill over another through the drastic differences in profession. In Oryx and Crake, those that are numerically inclined are treated like dukes while those that are verbally inclined are treated like peasants. Crake and his scientist counterparts not only live a more luxurious life, but are also more respected by the society. Crake graduates Watson-Crick with a job at RejoovenEsense, “one of the most powerful Compounds of them all” (Atwood 248). RejoovenEsense is not only one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies, but one of the most respected in the world for their research and development of the anti-aging pill. With that said, it is no surprise that high-level employees within the company are treated like royalty. Meanwhile, those that are verbally inclined like Jimmy have a hard time finding a job after graduating from Martha Graham. Jimmy knew it wouldn’t be easy for him to land a job right after graduating Martha Graham, so he spent the summer working for the Martha Graham library. The school asks Jimmy to throw away old books, but Jimmy refused to do so. This further accentuated the demise of the artistic and creative use of language. Clearly, those that work in non-scientific fields are despised by society, as Jimmy feels that “no one at AnooYoo was capable of appreciating how clever he had been” (Atwood 249). People with careers in…show more content…
To address this, she satirizes this aspect of the novel through exaggerating and mocking the ever-increasing gap between the rich and poor. Atwood’s emphasis on the contrasting lifestyles, education, and occupation make it apparent to the readers that the polarizing social hierarchy is a problem that needs to be fixed. This novel successfully unravels the many flaws in our society through depicting the fascinating lives of Jimmy and Crake. Ultimately, Atwood’s Oryx and Crake comprises of a near-immaculate blend of satire that will be continuously cherished for years to come. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake: A Novel. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2003. Print. "Marxist Criticism." Purdue OWL: Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. "Transitions." The Writing Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. "Writing Efficient Transitions." Writing Efficient Transitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. "Writing Transitions." Purdue OWL: Mechanics. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct.
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