In his novel The Postmortal, the author Drew Magary speculates about the possible outcomes of the invention of the anti-ageing cure. The novel is written from the point of view of the main character, John Farrel, as he witnesses the impact that the cure is having on the planet globally and on the United States in particular. With the discovery of the cure for ageing, life on Earth has changed forever in political, social, and environmental terms. The Postmortal’s scenario of the likely future in which people never age provides a non-trivial food for thought as it illustrates the shift in people’s relationships and interactions on social and political levels. While reading the novel, the readers cannot help putting themselves in a position of the people who will stay forever young and reflect upon their own life choices.
The main character, the successful lawyer John Farrel gets the cure in his late twenties, which means that starting from that point he is not going to mature physically and will stay forever young. Later, looking in the mirror he states: “I haven’t changed. I haven’t’ grown. It’s as if I haven’t lived at all” (Magary para.3). He changes his career to a divorce lawyer, which is an illustration of the transformations of people’s believes regarding marriage, love, and romantic relationship. With the possibility of eternal life ahead, the thought of lifetime commitment to one person seems intimidating to many people.
The cure had a drastic impact on society not only in terms of people’s private lives but also politically. In the novel, people split into two opposing parties: those who have chosen the cure, and those who support the natural, pre-cure state of things. The latter becomes a radical group and resort to violent measures in their fight against immortality. The thing that at first was perceived as a blessing turned into a disaster: “It doesn’t take long for that seeming utopia to dissolve into a planet-overstressed from overpopulation, food and fuel shortages, and general lawlessness-going into systemic failure” (Jones para.2). The violence seems inevitable, as the population increases, and the resources gradually run out.
Another important aspect that the author suggests considering is the growth of the consensual euthanasia business. The main character ends up as an end specialist, a person who assists people commit suicide. The demand for such kinds of services may seem depressing but at the same time not at all surprising.
While some people decide that they have lived enough and wish to put an end to their lives, others, especially those who have taken the cure while being young, strive to make the most out of their eternal youth and fall into hedonism. This raises the question of how humanity can deal with the possibility of eternal life and whether we will be able to use this opportunity responsibly. With the possibility of immortality, there is a risk, especially regarding young people, of switching the priorities towards the self-indulgent life with a little room left for concerns about the future. This is a dangerous attitude that can lead to apocalyptic consequences. In the novel, the new non-ageing world is being torn apart by the conflicts over equal access to resources, which become scarcer each day. The political parties, as well as the religious groups, fight each other in order to win influence over the people.
The issues that the author depicted in his novel, unfortunately, seem rather plausible. In my view, these challenges can be effectively addressed only on the condition that humanity will be equipped with profound knowledge in various fields. Having all the time in the world, people will be able to dedicate themselves to studying different subjects in detail. With the gift of immortality, each person will have an opportunity of becoming the Renaissance ideal: a universal genius who possesses knowledge in different fields. The colleges will be bound to adjust to postmortal life. In my opinion, the possibility of eternal life can bring more freedom to college life because both students and teachers will not any longer be restricted by their mortality and time limitations. A lot of time pressure that the students and teachers experience in academic life nowadays will be eliminated.
As for my personal experience, imagining myself in a world with no ageing and no natural death, I think that I would change neither college nor the major. In a postmortal world, political science will still be very much required as it can be concluded from the novel. The issue of power and resources will become even more intense and will require to be dealt with by experts with the proper knowledge in the field.
To conclude, The Postmortal by Drew Magary is a fascinating, not trivial reading. The author succeeded to provide the readers with thought-provoking reflections on the possible consequences of the discovery of the cure for ageing. The novel challenges readers to contemplate their life choices in the real-life, as well as the ones they could make in the world where ageing and natural death was eliminated.
Works Cited
Jones, Kimberly. “Imagine ‘Logan’s Run’ Locked at 29.” The Austin Chronicle. 2011. Web.
Magary, Drew. The Postmortal. New York: Penguin, 2011. Print.