MARGARET ATWOOD’S „ORYX AND CRAKE”: POSTHUMAN REALITY IN A BIOTECHNOLOGICAL AGE

Abstract

This paper examines Margaret Atwood’s 2003 novel Oryx and Crake through the lens of biotechnological development and posthumanist theory. This literary work describes a dystopian future where genetic engineering has fundamentally altered
human genetic code and blurred the traditionally sharp boundary between natural and artificial. Through detailed text analysis, it becomes clear that Atwood’s narrative simultaneously serves as both a warning and a critique of humanity’s rapid technological development trajectory, particularly regarding genetic modification and corporate biopower issues. The character Crake embodies posthumanist ambition—a scientist who creates a new species to replace flawed humanity—while protagonist Jimmy/Snowman presents a nostalgic human perspective, caught between old and new worlds. Through analysis of the relationships between Crake, Jimmy, and the genetically modified „Crakers” presented in the novel, the study reveals Margaret Atwood’s vision regarding complex issues such as human essence, establishing boundaries between species, and biotechnological ethics.
Ultimately, Oryx and Crake reveals deep concern about biotechnology’s potential to transform and, moreover, assume the role of God and completely recreate humanity. At the same time, the writer critiques the environmental and social complexities that might trigger such radical posthumanist scenarios as world destruction and repopulation of Earth with new posthuman species—the „Crakers.” The novel is not a simple moral judgment of current events; the writer has much to contemplate about human characteristics and those features worth preserving in a posthumanist world.