Theme Of Greed In Oryx And Crake

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The Theme of Greed in Oryx and Crake

Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood is a novel that warns us of possible dangers in the future, such as the destruction of the human race and nature. Throughout the novel, Atwood uses examples of destruction as a way to convey the danger of greed when combined with science. There are many examples of destruction within the novel; however, every example of destruction displayed throughout the novel is ultimately caused by greed.
In Oryx and Crake, greed is the root of every problem encountered within the novel. The technological advancements achieved through the use of science led to the excessive desire of enhancements used to make life more enjoyable and prolonged. The major health corporations such …show more content…

The pigoons are the main animals used for the gene splicing experiments. They were used to harvest organs for human use. This fictional experiment really sends a message to the reader because these are things that are already taking place in science. As said by Bouson, we live “In a biotechnological world in which the boundaries between science fiction and science fact are fast collapsing, corporations can own, patent, and commodify technologically designed species, … for medical and experimental purposes” (Bouson 139). For example, there has already been experiments where mice were used to grow ears on their backs for human use. This topic is an issue because it is unethical as stated by Atwood, gene splicing is “interfering with the building blocks of life. It’s immoral. It’s … sacrilegious” (Atwood 57). Gene splicing interferes with the normal course of nature. Eventually the hybrid animals were released into the outside environment. This could be a problem in real life because the hybrids could outnumber and replace the natural animals which could affect nature negatively. Gene splicing is also a problem within the novel. When the corporations began gene splicing science was no longer about sustaining all forms of life. Instead, science became a way for only the people to receive the benefits of the advancements, while completely ignoring the harm they were causing due to their endless acts of greed. This also shows how humans completely disregard the possible negative effects or impact on the environment caused by our actions. Not only do we ignore the impact on the environment we also ignore how certain things could affect

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