The main protagonist of Oryx and Crake, Snowman, is neither purely a good nor evil character, which makes him relatable. Therefore, I also feel sympathy for him since we have all done some form of despicable acts in the past, from which we learn and grow. The given imperfection of Jimmy is a primary reason why many readers can relate to the character. I think Jimmy is a person who wants to do the right things but is also easily influenced by his human nature. He is an ordinary example of a person whose life is a series of continuous mistakes and poor life choices, which compounded to create what he is at the end of the story. The plot does not always provide black and white situations where the choice is clear. Therefore, Jimmy acts and behaves in such a dualistic manner. For example, he is ready to kill his friend cheat with Crake’s sex partner, but he is also willing to adhere to his promises of taking care of Crakers (Atwood, 2004). In other words, he is neither evil nor good, which is reflective of most human beings.
When it comes to Jimmy’s obsession with Oryx, the source of such emotional attachment is a despicable one since he saw her in child pornography. However, when they meet later in real life, the past obsession turns into some form of love and bonding. Although there are certain basic and instinctual motives behind their relationship, the story also hints that they are in love with each other. Jimmy’s friendship with Oryx is a typical example of a one-sided relationship, where Crake regularly takes the lead and Snowman follows. Crakers are living manifestations of the promise he made to his dear friend, whom Jimmy had to kill, and lover, who was killed by his friend (Atwood, 2004). Therefore, he acts as their leader and protector, and Jimmy never had such a position of responsibility before the apocalypse. Thus, I think he partly enjoys being the shaman or prophet to the Crakers, and loneliness is not a major issue for him because he has been used to it since his separation from his parents.
The author’s statement about Jimmy’s and Crake’s division showcases how education is not equally valued. For example, Crake went to a bioengineering and genetics school, which allowed him to become a successful geneticist, whereas Jimmy went to Martha Graham Academy, which has no real value (Atwood, 2004). In other words, there is a clear difference between these two schools and fields, where one offers a promising career, and another merely occupies one for a certain period of time with no future.
Such a disparity is mostly due to the economy, which has higher demands for specific professionals, and little demand for specialties in humanities. It also reflects how society values technological progress more than important human elements. There is evidence that integrating humanities into engineering education can improve both educational and career outcomes (Bear & Skorton, 2018). The main reason is that there needs to be a human element in any engineering or scientific endeavors, such as ethics and moral conduct. In the case of education, Atwood (2004) states, “they spent the first three years of school getting you to pretend stuff and then the rest of it marking you down if you did the same thing” (p. 40). In other words, there is a problem of student engagement and involvement in the current education system.
References
Atwood, M. (2004). Oryx and Crake. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Bear, A., & Skorton, D. (2018). The integration of the humanities and arts with sciences, engineering, and medicine in higher education: Branches from the same tree. National Academies Press.