Much of the story is told between Jimmy’s flashbacks and the present. From the very beginning readers begin to get a sense that Snowman is the only one who is able to reconnect the past world to the current one. When the children around him ask about the objects washed up  by sea he is easily able to identify all of them as a “hubcap, a piano key, a chunk of pale-green pop bottle smoothed by the ocean” (7). Only Jimmy is able to remember these items. The book suggests that Jimmy’s past may be our future. There are certain science fiction elements like the “sprayguns” and the genetic advancements that show a distinct technological sophistication that far exceeds our own. From this readers can conclude that there was some cataclysm that plundered Jimmy’s world into a primitive heap. Although it is still early to predict what exactly that world-changing event was, I predict it will have something to do with the genetic research that was being done by Jimmy’s father. This also explains the “green eyes” (102) that everyone has. At first I thought only the young children had green eyes and when men and women were mentioned, I believed they would have varying traits that would show that they are also survivors of the cataclysm much like Jimmy. Instead, they too possess the universal trait of green eyes which means that Jimmy must be much older than all of them. This sentiment is further supported on page 100 where Jimmy notes that all of the women, though ethnically different, all have the same kind of beauty to them. Perhaps this is to show how genetics has played a role in creating “more perfect” humans.

It would make sense that Jimmy would be the oldest. After all, he appears to be a wise shaman of sorts. The way he talks about Oryx and Crake makes them seem like gods. He even describes their path to fame as their “gradual deification” (104). It is unclear why those two specifically are the subjects of all his stories to the tribe. As with most ancient and primitive civilizations, mysticism is a recurring theme due to their inability to explain certain phenomena. Jimmy, having the knowledge of the old world, would have the answers to all of their questions but may be too tired to explain them or maybe he doesn’t want one explanation to lead to another. Having only read the first third of the book, the watch, in which Jimmy “listens” to Crake is still shrouded in mystery.

Much of the ideological conflicts can be found between Jimmy’s mother and father. Although both had worked for the same corporation, they begin to divert rapidly. Jimmy’s mother believes that science may have crossed the line. She criticizes that her husband’s work is “interfering with the building blocks of life” and that his work is “immoral”and “sacrilegious” (57). Her stance seems to be one in which she wants the world to retain its natural order. This is further demonstrated when she decides to run off with Killer, Jimmy’s pet, wanting the animal to be free to roam in the wild. Jimmy’s father has a very pro-science and big business vibe. When Jimmy’s mother says that she is depressed, he simply demands that she should “take some pills” (57). Instead of trying to console her with talking, he immediately resorts to using a drug to control her emotions. The domestic arguments taking place are not simply to outline Jimmy’s rather depressing childhood. It also serves as a way of showing what is wrong with world. The book does a good job of personifying ideological conflicts through the verbal arguments between the couple.

The most disturbing part of the reading were Crake’s and Jimmy’s time spent browsing the internet. Two young boys viewing pornography wasn’t really anything too alarming. It was their indifference towards the executions and other grotesque images that shocked me. Crake even explains that the executions “could get monotonous” (83) showing how prolonged exposure can make people indifferent about anything. Maybe this is what makes the internet so dangerous. Our voyeuristic ability to watch something so impersonally can drive us towards indifference about the most gruesome and morally-ill subjects.