Disclaimer: I know that this definitely isn’t the most provocative idea from this last reading, as the ending and killings are rather intense and questionable. I also know that we have previously touched on this, but I thought I would come back to it as this is what really stuck out to me while I was reading.
I think one of the most interesting, as well as one of the strangest, parts about Oryx and Crake is the relationship between Jimmy and Crake. Earlier in the novel, they begin to lose touch and Jimmy claims that he is beginning to think of Crake as a person of his past. As much as Jimmy is trying to let go of Crake, it is near impossible because Crake keeps contacting him. As the novel has progressed, it has taken a turn from Jimmy being fascinated by Crake to Crake being fascinated by Jimmy.
Crake’s obsession with Jimmy stands out the most right after Crake offers Jimmy the job at ReJoovenEsense. The fact that Crake individually contacted each of Jimmy’s ex-lovers to tell them exactly what he is up to is borderline creepy since before recently Crake wasn’t exactly playing a huge role in Jimmy’s life.
My question is why can’t Crake let go? At this point in Jimmy’s life Jimmy was completely content with his relationship with Crake (near nonexistent) yet every time the relationship nears a stop, Crake makes sure to start over. I can’t tell if Crake enjoys the superiority he has over Jimmy or if he actually puts value into their relationship. Or is Crake fascinated by Jimmy’s romantic encounters, as he has not (as far as we know) had any himself? I can’t help but think there might be jealousy rooted in his obsession. I know this is a more general question, but I’m curious to hear what you guys think about why Crake refuses to lose touch with Jimmy?
I found this idea to be very compelling as I read as well. I have to logical speculations about Crake’s fixation on Jimmy. Firstly, Crake is obviously a very intelligent person and sometimes with intelligence comes a lack of social skills. Jimmy and him bonded from a young age and it is possible that Crake just defaults to Jimmy as his only friend.
Secondly, Crake clearly feels so superior to the human race that he decided to wipe them off the earth to make room for his new species. Jimmy, to him, could have been a pawn, an easy person to control or easy to be persuaded into doing his deeds.
Perhaps it is a mixture of both reasons why Crake keeps coming back to Jimmy. But, I do agree it seems like a weird and obsessive relationship.
I feel that Crake, in a way, was using Jimmy from the start. He needed to find someone with the right personality to lead the Crakers in the future. I think that Crake wanted Jimmy to lead the Crakers because Jimmy is morally superior to him and Oryx would be unable to lead emotionally after the world ends. Being such a genius, it is not hard for me to imagine that he orchestrated their friendship in order to get what he wants. Knowing that Jimmy would have disagreed to helping the Crakers and would have no interest, he probably purposefully roped in Oryx to get Jimmy’s attention. Any romantic relations between Crake and Oryx may have been a ruse to get Jimmy to become more involved in the project. Because the story is told from Jimmy’s perspective, the love triangle may have just been a result of Jimmy’s paranoia.
I think that this IS one of the most provocative ideas from the last reading.
Crake shows that he trusts and admires (and wants to control?) Jimmy more than literally anyone on the planet, to the point where it is clearly obsession. I mean, he wipes out all of humanity except his childhood friend!
Crake’s relationship with Jimmy is starkly contrasted with his relationship with Oryx. With Jimmy, Crake is thoroughly casual in person, and yet he has knowledge (and control, especially later) over every aspect of his life -even his girlfriends, what the heck! Meanwhile with Oryx he is possessive in person, but not on her life, as he doesn’t confront her about her relationship with Jimmy – this is assuming he is even aware of it (Crake is a pro stalker and if he wanted to know, he would).
So why, since a young age, has Crake been so attached to Jimmy? I think it is because of a set of similarities that is not so easily defined (they are after all extremely different people). I think whatever this similarity is, the key to this is their preoccupation with Oryx since their youth. We only get Jimmy’s side of this, but it is implied that Crake’s interest in her mirrored Jimmy’s. They never talked about it together, they never showed any specific interest in the picture to each other (it was the same as hundreds of other images they compiled together), but each of them responded through the years in exactly the same way. Whatever makes them similar (and possibly what ties Jimmy to Crake) is possibly tied to this parallel obsession.
Ryan, that is a really interesting idea. I too speculate on the true nature of Crake and Oryx’s relationship. Mikayla, after finishing the novel do you see why Jimmy is vital to Crake’s plan? Why do you think Crake chose Jimmy to play this role?