Introduction:
“The Hunger Games” and “Oryx and Crake” are books set in fictional post-apocalyptic worlds. This paper seeks to examine the main fundamental human fears that exist in the two novels and storylines. In line with this, the main and fundamental fear in these two novels is the fear of being able to control what we create and what to come. This directly results from not knowing our potential in terms of what one can achieve. Furthermore, it results from not knowing the results and consequences of our actions. The books give an idea of what will happen in the future because of our present actions. They clearly show that sometimes we do things that we do not fully understand and before we know, things can quickly get out of control. Within the books themselves, there are characters who participate in simple actions without understanding the true extent of the influence of their actions. Within a short while, the simple actions get out of hand and are out of the control of the people.
The fundamental fear of not knowing our potential is evident in The Hunger Games. The novel is located in a dystopian society where fear is used to rule. The plotline of the hunger games follows the story of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen a girl from district 12 in the fictional world of Panem (Collins, 2008). The setting of the story is an unspecified time in the future. The ruling elite at the time is successful in creating the fundamental human fears of humans not knowing their potential in the citizens of Panem. The main reason for this observation is that in Panel freethinking is prohibited. Rulers and strict laws control everyone who lives in this world. This in turn leads to the development of fear within the citizens since they are unaware of their potential in controlling what happens to them. Furthermore, Panem is a dystopian nation that arises after the apocalypse of the world. It is comprised of 12 districts of varying wealth ruled by a capitol.
Through strict laws and fear created by the capitol, two tributes from each district are selected for the games where they will fight to the death. The fundamental fears of the citizens lack of understanding their potential leads to the leadership successfully hosting the hunger games seasonally. The citizens are unaware of the potential they possess in rebelling against directives from the ruling elite. This is mainly because most citizens are afraid of the capitol and follow all the set rules without question. This leads to parents and family members being unable to protect their children from the capitol, which rules through intimidation and fear. Therefore, the tributes are young children from the districts and each district must send a boy and a girl. The tributes fight each other until only one remains. The capital hosts the hunger games annually, which are for entertainment as well as to remind people never to revolt again. This implies that the capitol uses the hunger games as a symbol to create fear within its citizens. Therefore, the games, which were created as a deterrent to revolt, have now become part of the people’s lives that the original reason for the games has been overtaken by the entertainment factor. The games have outgrown the power of King Snow who started the games.
In the book Oryx and Crake the fear of not being able to control what we create is evident. Craker is a brilliant scientist who has been able to create the humanoid Crakers. His inventions in the book have a tendency of being uncontrollable. This is clear when he discloses to Jimmy that he is developing a new Viagra like drug that is meant to give people health and happiness. Craker engages Jimmy in marketing the drug, which becomes very successful worldwide. However, an epidemic that threatens to wipe out the human race emerges and Jimmy realizes that this epidemic is a result of the drug created by Craker. This creates the fundamental fear of not being able to control Craker’s creation in Jimmy. This is particularly true when Jimmy discovers that the epidemic was Craker’s true intention of developing the drug. The epidemic wipes out people apart from the compound where Jimmy lives with Craker and Oryx, which is protected. In the unfolding events, Jimmy realizes that Craker is an evil person and is determined to kill him. Eventually, Jimmy kills Craker after he kills Oryx, in whom Jimmy was interested. Jimmy’s actions in killing cracker result from his fear of being unable to create what he cannot control.
The book Oryx and Crake is also set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with fear of the unknown. The book focuses on a man named Snowman who lives with human like creatures who he calls Crakers. In the book, it is revealed using flashbacks that when Snowman was young, he was called Jimmy and lived in a world not very different from today’s world. When he was young, multinational corporations dominated the world and there were privileged compounds where their employees lived. While Jimmy was young, he met a science student Glenn whom he fears. Glen studied bioengineering, becomes a bio engineer who create uncontrollable inventions. It is revealed that Glenn whom Jimmy calls Cracker is the person behind the Crakers. They are genetically engineered humanoid life beings that are very gentle (Atwood, 2004).
In this book, the actions of one scientist (Craker) lead to an epidemic that wipes out the human race. Due to selfish reasons, the scientist develops a drug that leads to an epidemic and the world has no way to recover from the epidemic. Snowman who survives the epidemic by virtue of living within the protected compound where Craker lived is forced to live in the post-apocalyptic world. He has the Crakers for company which are the humanoid creatures created by the scientist responsible for the epidemic. The acts of Craker in developing the drug lead to the situation becoming out of control very easily. This results in almost the entire human race being wiped out. After Jimmy realizes that the problem is a result of his friend, he decides to kill him. In addition, this action leads to the situation getting out of control. By killing Craker, jimmy probably killed the only person who could reverse the epidemic. Overall, this book shows what could happen in the world if people are not able to control their inventions.
The evidence showing that the fundamental fear of humans is not being able to control their inventions, as well as, not knowing their full potential provides the main setting for both books. Both books are set in a post-apocalyptic world after human actions have all but destroyed the world. In both books, the characters are based in a setting where the world and social order has been destroyed because of human inventions and activities. It is a world where people live in fear. This is mainly because of actions that the humans involved in the books are unable to control their environment, as well as, creations. It is an indicator of where the world could be headed if present activities are not controlled. Furthermore, it shows the results of negative human actions that cannot be controlled on the world. The authors of these books play on these fundamental human fears by creating a fantasy world that has close resemblance to the present world, as we know it. This is done so that humans can compare these fantasy worlds and the real worlds and identify things that are currently being done that could get out of control and result in the post-apocalypse world in the texts.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it is evident that the main and fundamental fear in the two novels is not being able to control what we create and what to come. This results from not knowing our potential and not knowing the results and consequences of our actions. From the Hunger Games it is clear that as soon as Katniss realizes that her simple actions have started a movement that is soon beyond her control and she eventually joins it. She has started something that soon becomes more powerful than she becomes and is soon beyond her control. Furthermore, in the book Oryx and crake it is clear that the acts of Craker in developing the drug lead to the situation becoming out of control very easily. This results in the wiping out of the entire human race.
References:
Atwood, M. (2004). Oryx and crake. New York: Anchor.
Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic Corporation.
