Authentic Love in an Artificial World Mizuki Eva Giffin College

Margaret Atwood creates a corrupt, futuristic world in Oryx and Crake that places all emphasis on technology and science, therefore devaluing the role of emotion and connection in society. Those who work in the pursuit of scientific breakthroughs are considered to be the elite, whereas others who are better suited to work in arts and have a talent with words are less valued. These two different types of people are demonstrated by the characters of Jimmy and Crake: Crake being the representation of the ideal scientific prodigy, whereas Jimmy symbolizing someone who is more emotional and artistic. They have drastically opposing views on the value of emotion and approach relationships in different ways, but despite these differences, both characters eventually experience love. Despite the lack of emphasis on emotional connection in the technologically based society of Oryx and Crake, love proves to be an essential and irreplaceable aspect of the human experience for the characters in the novel.

Throughout Oryx and Crake, characters demonstrate an inherent longing to feel emotion. As teenagers, Jimmy and Crake used to spend their time watching graphic videos on the internet, such as child pornography and people getting tortured....