106 pages • 3 hours read
Margaret AtwoodOryx and Crake
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
We are introduced to a man called “Snowman,” who is listening to the sea while ruminating on the landscape and his current state of life. Looking at his watch causes a moment of panic, as it reminds him that there is no longer any concept of time. He is also wasting away from hunger and is covered in scabs.
As he sits on the beach, Snowman observes children frolicking by the sea. He never ventures into the sea as he is too cautious of what might lurk there, and he envies the children’s carefree nature. He knows that they will come over to him sooner or later, intrigued by his strange presence. Sure enough, they start questioning him about objects that they have found, such as a computer mouse and a plastic container. Snowman does not know how to explain what life used to be like and always has the same answer: “These are things from before.”
Snowman took his name from the Abominable Snowman due to the shadowy, mysterious nature of this creature. Previously, it had been one of Crake’s rules that a person’s name had to be based on a physical resemblance to a real creature—no one could have been called “unicorn,” for instance. However, such rules no longer apply.
The children proceed to ask Snowman what is on his face, and he answers, “Feathers.” He has told them this previously, and they have built up folklore about his background; for instance, they believe he is a bird who has forgotten how to fly and whose feathers have fallen out. The children want feathers too, but this will not happen: Crake decreed that there were to be no beards on the Children of Crake. The children try to question Snowman further, but he tells them to go away.
As he sits alone, he wishes to hear “a fully human voice, like his own.” Sometimes he makes animal noises or yells expletives while running along the beach, which he finds cathartic. He imagines hearing a woman’s voice, though it is not that of Oryx (who “is no longer very talkative”). He thinks about different types of women, though they only exist as visions; at least they would be some form of company. He suddenly becomes angry and curses Crake, before wiping the tears from his eyes and telling himself, “Get a life.”
Chapter 2 Summary
Snowman, whose real name is Jimmy, recounts being around five years old and watching a pile of animals being burnt in a public bonfire. Jimmy’s father and a fellow observer started discussing the events that led to the necessity of this fire, speculating that, despite all the security measures in place, someone may have brought “it” in on purpose; potentially to make a profit. They had bemoaned that security was remiss, before speculating that bribery may have been involved. The observer concluded that, while the perpetrators had succeeded, “Two can play at that game.”
Jimmy’s father explained that the fire was necessary in order to stop disease from spreading. Jimmy asked if the same thing would happen to him if he came down with a cough, and his father joked that it would—a joke that Jimmy’s mother did not appreciate.
Jimmy’s father was a successful genographer who worked at OrganInc and had pioneered the “pigoon” project, which involved using pigs to grow human organs. All this had been explained to Jimmy when he was old enough, but he now realizes that being “old enough” is a “dumb concept”: even now, he is unable to deal with what has happened, and he doubts that any sane human could feel otherwise. He starts remembering the kind of lingo used in self-enlightenment handbooks and thinks how hollow and fake it seems now.
OrganInc published brochures to assure people of the benefits of the pigoon project and dispel fears that obsolete pigoons were used for bacon and sausages. Still, meat products were often on the menu within OrganInc, prompting jokes made in bad taste. Jimmy was perturbed by these comments, but one of his father’s co-workers, Ramona, reassured him. The pigoons were kept in a high-security complex, as the kidnapping of a pigoon by a rival company would have been disastrous. Many of the employees, meanwhile, lived in the OrganInc compound and did not go to cities unless it was absolutely necessary, as the world outside was seen as risky and unpredictable. Sharon. Jimmy’s mother, said that the world within the compound was artificial, but Jimmy’s father pointed out that they could walk around without fear. Given the nature of the work being carried out, guards were vigilant against rival companies. Jimmy’s father told his son that the compound was like a castle.
Sharon had worked for OrganInc as a microbiologist but quit to stay home with Jimmy, though Jimmy thought it was strange that she quit at the same time that he started school. His mother typically did not make lunch for him and often seemed tired. He tried to make her laugh and, though she often got annoyed, he would manage to get her to crack a smile.
His mother’s reactions were not always positive, but Jimmy found them preferable to “the flat voice, the blank eyes, the tired staring out of the window.” Sometimes his mother would lose her temper altogether, throwing items and yelling about the hopelessness of everything. Other times, she would hug her son and cry. In any case, Jimmy felt a strange sense of pride whenever he provoked these outbursts.
Chapter 3 Summary
To avoid the blazing noonday sun, Snowman retreats into the forest. He made himself shelter using items left around, including a knife that he has since lost. He remembers his father giving him a knife in an attempt to encourage his practical skills, and Oryx saying that he should have given his father money in return. She believed that not having done so meant that he would be cut with bad luck.
While he had done his best to create a shelter and bed, insects remained an annoyance. In addition, he had woken one morning to find three feral pigoons. He had since moved to a tree but sometimes lies down in the old bed during noon. The word “Mesozoic” suddenly comes to his mind, but, while he can hear it, he feels detached from it. He reflects that this has been happening a lot lately.
Snowman thinks that he needs to find better ways of occupying himself, though he ruminates that time is running out; no matter what one does with it. He remembers playing games with Crake, though the only game available to him now is chess. Alternatively, he could keep a diary so as to give his life some structure. He reflects, however, that castaways usually write under the assumption that there will be a future reader. He has no such assumptions, as Crakers cannot read.
As the sky darkens, Snowman dreams of Oryx. She is floating in a pool and Snowman knows that they are in danger. The dream concludes with a “hollow booming sound” and he wakes to a storm, subsequently taking refuge under some car tires. He feels like a caged animal and thinks, “Get me out!” but knows that he is out. He starts weeping, saying that he did not do it on purpose and that it was out of his control.
Chapters 1-3 Analysis
The story starts in a cryptic manner, introducing readers to its central character: a mysterious figure who calls himself Snowman. He is sitting alone near the beach and, though we do not know the context of the story yet, it is apparent that something significant has occurred in the world and rendered him an outcast. He is dishevelled and gaunt, and food is in short supply. As he watches children frolicking in the sea, his reacts to them as though they are of a different species. He envies them for their innocence and thinks of how he would never go in the water, as he fears that it might be harmful.
Snowman remembers old phrases, though he does not know where he read them, and this sets up a motif that runs throughout the novel. He also mentions someone called Crake, who had established elaborate rules about how people should name themselves, though these rules no longer apply. Likewise, the children by the sea have “Crake’s aesthetic,” which includes green eyes. At this point, it seems that Crake is no longer around but used to exert a lot of power. His “aesthetic” also gestures towards the theme of genetic engineering.
Snowman appears to be a relic of a bygone age, and the children certainly see him in this light. As they quiz him and he explains old objects such as a computer mouse, we infer that the novel is set in the future and that something dramatic has happened. It also appears that Snowman may be the lone survivor. Certainly, there is a gulf between him and the children, which becomes increasingly clear throughout their dialogue. As he confirms, he wishes to hear “a fully human voice, like his own.” He also thinks about a long-gone woman called Oryx and curses Crake, thus indicating that this man was probably responsible for whatever has happened.
Chapter 2 goes back in time to focus on Snowman’s childhood. Snowman’s real name is Jimmy, and one of his earliest memories is of watching animals being burned in a public bonfire. From remarks passed between Jimmy’s father and another onlooker, it is appears that someone breached the security of the compound in which these animals were contained and infected them with a virus. Their remarks also indicate the competitiveness between rival companies, as well as a willingness to sabotage one another’s projects.
We are told that Jimmy’s father worked for one of these companies, OrganInc, which was using animals known as pigoons to grow human organs. However, the dangerousness and unethical practices drove a wedge between Jimmy’s parents, who frequently argued. Shifting to the present for a moment, the novel informs us that Snowman still cannot process what has happened, and that no sane human being could do otherwise. This gives the impression that, not only has something monumental occurred, but it has its roots in the kind of work that these companies were undertaking—it was not a natural disaster.
This chapter expands on the description of Jimmy’s mother, who had been employed by OrganInc but quit. She also seems depressed and aloof, though prone to emotional outbursts. It is apparent that she is bothered by the work being undertaken by these companies and carries a heavy burden.
Chapter 3 shifts focus back to Snowman, who has awoken to the sight of some feral pigoons. This consequently emphasizes that previous security measures have broken down and the pigoons are running free. He also reflects that he is becoming increasingly detached from the words that pop into his mind, indicating that he is drifting further and further away from his old life. He remembers playing games with Crake, though, as we later learn, one of these games became more than a mere hobby for Crake.
Seeking a means of occupying himself, Snowman considers writing a diary; however, he notes that castaways typically assume that there will be a future reader, whereas he has no such expectation. Here, he reveals another piece of information about the “Crakers”: they cannot read.
Jimmy then dreams about the ghostlike figure of Oryx and feels that both of them are in danger. Consequently, we sense that Oryx was a significant person in Snowman’s earlier life and that she and Jimmy had been caught up in a dangerous situation from which only Snowman has emerged physically, though not mentally, intact.
When Snowman sees an old “Men at Work” sign, we are given further evidence that the world as we know it no longer exists and that this is a dystopian novel. Snowman then starts weeping and saying that he did not do it on purpose and that it was out of his control. We may not know what “it” is at this juncture, but we can see that Snowman was involved but seemingly unable to prevent it.
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