Essay On Jeff Vandermeer's Borne

What defines a person? In the novel, Borne by Jeff Vandermeer, the author raises this question with the creation of a creature named Borne. To understand the question one must familiarize themselves with the definition and the setting within the novel. A person can be defined as a human being regarded as an individual and is often used synonymously with the word human being. The novel is set in a post apocalyptic world with many strange creatures. Although some readers of the novel Borne have argued that Borne is not a person, closer examinations show that he exhibits many traits of humanity like his curiosity, struggle with his own existence, his ability to form his own thoughts and manipulate the world around him. Although some of these characteristics

The biggest difference between Borne and animals is how each affects the world and why. Borne is able to change the world around similarly to how humans do it. A small way he affects the world is when he decided to move out and go his own apartment. He told Rachel that “I will be busy decorating my apartment anyway.” (Vandermeer 87). He decided to change the way the apartment was viewed to his own liking. However, one might say that animals can rearrange a room to their liking, but what Borne was different from simply rearranging. Animals would only add the essentials to living which would change the world around them, but Borne decided to decorate and add things that were not vital to his survival. Humans love to have stuff that is not necessary for life and Borne exemplifies that when he decorates. Another way Borne manipulated the world around him was how he affected Rachel life. Every interaction he had with her had affected how she acted and the way she manipulated her space. For example, how she viewed the world changed after she met Borne. Rachel says that “He [Borne] made me rethink even simple words like disgusting or beautiful” (Vandermeer 56). While this may not have been a physical manipulation of space, his personality and way of looking at things changed the way someone else thought. This example is included in his ability to manipulate the world because his opinion has the ability to change the hearts around him. Although, the most noticeable way Borne affected the world was his sacrifice in a fight with Mord, a dangerous creature within the book. Mord was a giant bear who terrorized the people in the society and was akin to a god. Rachel said after the fight that “Both Mord and Borne were gone, as if they had not existed” (Vandermeer 316) With Mord gone Borne allowed for the world to change: “Because we can make one here. A world” (Vandermeer 318). The ability