Oryx and Crake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oryx and Crake - Essay Example Atwood depicts several moods and situations through few sentences and has the advantage of presenting a detailed description of a future that is unfamiliar in the minds of most readers. However, her skills in including specific details help sketch a precise vision of every such instance. The central theme of the story focuses on the process of creating newer forms of life by way of genetic engineering, which has been a phenomenon for the past several decades. This has led to the introduction of numerous weird creatures such as wolvogs and rakunks (a combination of the genes from different animals) in addition to creating life forms which are abnormally larger or smaller than their natural dimensions. The story, narrated through a series of small episodes, provides for the considerate discussion of a specific theme along each episode, thereby allowing Atwood to express her strong feelings in diverse areas. Despite the seriousness of the topic being dealt by her story, she includes a great deal of humor into her story in places like the depiction of the Martha Graham College and Jimmy, its student in English, who is the principal character in the story. ‘Oryx and Cake’ describes a period not far from our own where several aspects of life are quite similar, thereby allowing the reader a sense of familiarity along a sensible progression of time. The society as depicted in ‘Oryx and Cake’ comprises the privileged classes who thrive in closely guarded settlements and those who live around these areas in lesser favorable circumstances. The rich sell their wares to these less fortunate people, referred to in the story as ‘pleebs’, whereby the latter is clearly at the losing side of the bargain. The rich controlled the society through genetic fiddling and maintained a strict oversight over resources such as food and livestock. In fact, the