THE SYMBOLIC FUNCTION OF NATURE IN MARGARET ATWOOD'S ORYX AND CRAKE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/Keywords:
Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake, Ecocriticism, Symbolic Nature, Anthropocene, Bioengineering, Posthumanism.Abstract
This thesis investigates the symbolic representation of nature in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel Oryx and Crake (2003). As a foundational text of contemporary ecocriticism and speculative fiction, the novel depicts a post-human landscape where the traditional boundaries between the natural and the artificial have collapsed. Through a meticulous textual analysis, this study demonstrates that nature operates not merely as a passive backdrop, but as a dynamic symbolic force that reflects human hubris, ethical decay, and the ultimate resilience of the organic world. By examining the commodification of genetics, the creation of the bioengineered Crakers, and the feral wilderness of the post-apocalyptic era, this research highlights how Atwood uses nature as a moral mirror. The findings reveal that while corporate capitalism attempts to subjugate nature through technological modification, nature reclaims its autonomy, proving that ecological systems cannot be permanently commodified.
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