Essay Questions

Explain Hatch's philosophy of humanity as seen in his allegory of the chickens and the eagles.

Hatch has a quasi-Nietzschean view of the value of humanity; he appears to think that the perfection and application of strength makes a human fully satisfied, being in contact with the telos of his existence. He calls his electric students "eagles" that deserve to fly above and use the "chickens" (normal humans) for their own advantage, destroying the foundations of humanity and rebuilding them in their image. His speech to the students on the plane to Peru exemplifies this worldview:

"Those idiots on the board want to put a new coat of paint on the house. I say burn the house to the ground and rebuild it! No government but our government. No religion but our religion. No gods but our gods. We will tear down the human foundation brick by brick and construct our own" (ch. 24).

Hatch's real motivation, however, is not Nietzschean at all; he wants power for himself. Unlike Nietzsche, who genuinely believed and looked forward to a superman beyond himself, Hatch believes that he is the superman who will allow these "eagles" to fly. By doing so, he will essentially become the ruler of the world.

Detail the steps of Elgen, Inc.'s new plan to take over the world.

Disregarding Hatch's maniacal scheme to use the electric children, the rest of the company wants to use their new technological discovery (the electrified rats that power Starxource) to gradually monopolize the world's energy market. They can offer cheap, renewable, highly efficient sources of energy to power the world, which will make the entire global economy dependent on them. Starting with their existing facilities (especially the one in Puerto Maldonado, Peru), they will expand until they supply the majority of the energy in the world. Keeping the secret of their energy is of the highest priority; as soon as someone figures out how they're doing it, their edge in the competition will be taken away.

Agree or disagree, with support, that the decision to make Zeus and Jack fight over Abigail was a good artistic choice.

This is a young adult novel, and, as such, romantic drama is nearly inevitable. One might argue, however, that the dueling of Zeus and Jack for the affections of Abigail is forced and unnecessary. The existing relationship between Michael and Taylor, along with the budding attraction between Ostin and McKenna, provides enough romantic elements for the novel to run smoothly. This tension over Abigail, though, seems contrived simply for the sake of tension. To be completely honest, tender-hearted Abigail doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be attracted to either of them, so the entire dynamic is a little off-putting.

On the other hand, the tension between Jack and Zeus makes Zeus's sacrifice and Jack's subsequent rescue of Zeus so much more dramatically emotional. When they talk afterward in the jungle, each offers to step aside to let the other "have a shot" at Abigail, which is both a redeeming moment in their relationship and a slight objectification that Abigail probably wouldn't appreciate. Regardless, the heartfelt resolution of the tension caused by their rivalry adds an emotional appeal to the ending of the novel.