Question Paper on Oryx and Crake

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After reading the book Oryx and Crake, one question that has puzzled me is ‘How accurate is Margaret Atwood’s pre-apocalyptic world in relation to our world?’ Through this paper, I would like to compare and contrast various aspects of the real world and the world that is described in the book. By doing so, I would like to determine the accuracy of the pre- apocalyptic world described in the book. I would also like to investigate why the author chose to exaggerate some aspects of the world in the book without paying attention to accuracy.
There are three possible answers to the question that I have posed above. One possible answer is that the author has presented a completely accurate picture. The second is that the author’s presentation of the world is completely inaccurate. The third possible answer is that the author has been accurate to some extent with her pre-apocalyptic world. I would like to remove the second answer right away because the author has not been completely inaccurate with anything in the book. I think everything in the book is either completely accurate or accurate to a certain extent. I have picked a few things that are described in the book in order to examine the accuracy Margaret Atwood’s pre-apocalyptic world.
Firstly, I would like to examine the accuracy with which the human response to the BlyssPluss pill has been portrayed in the book. I think this aspect is portrayed very accurately. If a pill was released in world that gave human beings immortality, it would sell rapidly as most human beings would buy it without thinking much. In the book, Jimmy says that “The BlyssPluss Pill would sell itself, it didn’t need help from him” (Page 312). This shows an innovative pill such as the immortality pill d...

... middle of paper ...

...rtially accurate.
I think the author has not accurately presented every aspect in the book. But, this leads to the question, ‘Why did she choose to compromise on accuracy about some things?’ I think the answer to this question is that the author has exaggerated about many things in order to give a warning. The author uses these events to warn people that the excessive use of technology might lead to the destruction of the world. Besides, the author describes a pre-apocalyptic world in the book. I do not think the world is going to end very soon. Therefore, our present world has not yet reached the pre-apocalyptic stage. Therefore, the events, situations and conditions described in the book are a futuristic world and not the present. Hence, I think the world described in the book does not have to be completely accurate with the present non- pre-apocalyptic world.

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