Snowman, or the man formerly known as Jimmy
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In Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood offers a dystopian vision of modern society where only one individual remains of humanity as we know it today. His name is Snowman. Nothing remains of his life when he was known as Jimmy and he has given himself this pseudonym to be used by the small race of genetically modified proto-humans, the Crakers, whose safety and development he must preserve.
Snowman is introduced in the first scene of the novel as he wakes before dawn in a tree to the rhythmic heartbeat of the waves on the shore. “The Abominable Snowman – existing and not existing, flickering at the edges of blizzards, apelike man or manlike ape, stealthy, elusive, known only through rumors and through its backwards pointing footprints” (8). This song works well to introduce Snowman, someone who sleeps in a tree “for all his problems,” and like the mythical creature from which he draws his nickname, Snowman feels intense loneliness and isolation. The lines "They can't find you for the moment/Then for all past efforts/They're buried deep beneath your heart/And somewhere in your stomach" speaks to this isolation and pain he feels from the intensely traumatic experience that left him the only remaining person on Earth. |
A tree for all these problems |
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I've used the Beatles' "Revolution 9" to represent the feeling of meaning slipping away that Snowman feels in his daily routine. "Out of nowhere a word appears: Mesozoic; he can hear the word, he can see the word, but he cant reach the word [...] This is happening too much lately, this dissolution of meaning, the entries on his cherished wordlists drifting off into space" (39).
Snowman considers ways to occupy his time, thinks of keeping a diary. "He is a castaway of sorts. He could make lists. It could give his life some structure. But even a castaway assumes a future reader, someone who’ll come along later and find his bones and his ledger, and learn his fate. Snowman can make no assumptions [...] any reader he can possibly imagine is in the past" (41). |
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As a young boy, Jimmy goes through a tough time of getting along with and understanding his parents. But then suddenly his mother leaves home and he is left with even more confused feelings for his parents. "Maybe she had loved Jimmy, thinks Snowman. In her own manner. […] Wasn’t there supposed to be a maternal bond?" (61).
Mother, you had me but I never had you, I chose "Mother" by John Lennon, for obvious reasons; the pathos of this song is incredible, especially when Lennon wails the final lines over and over. |
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You raise up your head And you ask, "Is this where it is?" And somebody points to you and says "It's his" And you say, "What's mine?" And somebody else says, "Where what is?" And you say, "Oh my God Am I here all alone?" Because something is happening here |
Here I have chosen Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" to reveal something about the relationship Snowman/Jimmy has with his closest childhood friend, Crake. As these lyrics suggest, there have always been many questions surrounding Crake, a truly gifted scientist. He has long been considered a unique, special individual, but Jimmy never could quite put his finger on what attracted him to Crake.
"Nevertheless there was something about Crake. That kind of cool slouchiness, always impressed Jimmy, coming from another guy: it was the sense of energies being held back, held in reserve for something more important than present company" (72). "He could feel it within himself to hate Crake, as well as liking him" (75). |
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It will also be essential to explain Snowman's relationship with the other titular character of the novel, Oryx. Oryx's past is so mysterious, and her capacity for compassion so profound that she seems to be a fabrication.
Jimmy's most central aim throughout the novel is to discover Oryx's "secret," whatever that may be, and in the course of so doing develops a profound love for her that surpasses anything he's experienced in a severely over-sexualized society. I chose Nirvana's live cover of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" not simply because the lyrics express the rudimentary inquiry into the wherabouts of a woman, but more so because Kurt Cobain conveys a pain while performing this song that I felt most closely approximates Snowman's sorrow after ultimately losing Oryx. |
My girl, my girl, where will you go? I'm going where the cold wind blows. |
| When Crake finally reveals to Jimmy his life's work, a genetically engineered race of humans, Jimmy is overcome with a vague sensation that he's been thrown off balance. Crake claims that they represent "the art of the possible," but Jimmy senses that something wrong is going on, that "what had been altered here was nothing less than the ancient primate brain" (305).
I chose Coldplay's "Such a Rush" to represent the vague disillusionment Jimmy begins to feel for Crake's project. There is also a coldness to the song that represents the chilled feeling Jimmy gets when he looks at the Crakers. Look at all the people |
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In the town one morning I went I feel that this song by the Fleet Foxes represents the eerie and confused situation that Snowman finds himself in following the climax of the story. After Jimmy loses both Oryx and Crake, "He thought of killing himself, but somehow he didn’t have the required energy" (344). |
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How high will you leap Will you make enough for you to reap it? Only youll arrive At your own made end With no one but yourself to be offended Its you that decides "Run of the Mill' by George Harrison expresses the agency which Snowman possesses in making one final decision that will be his ultimate contribution to the fate of the world. This song also has a more optimistic tone, which I believe mirrors Atwood's optimism for the outcome of the story despite her severe criticisms and stark forewarnings throughout the book. |
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I also like the song choices.
I also like the song choices. And you do a nice job of analyzing Snowman--lots of details about the text and personality--though it feels like it falls off a bit at the end. The main reaction I have is that the analysis of the songs is not as developed as that of the character. More about the sounds, a bit more intepretation of the lyrics, more adjectives to illustrate your point, etc. will make it stronger.
Snowman
This is a great playlist. 'Mother,' 'Run of the Mill,' and your Fleetwood Foxes song are all particularly good calls, I think. Also, your text is concise and informative- you do a nice job of fitting a lot into a small space. I'll definitely be putting this on my list of books to check out.