Vartanian 1

Tina Vartanian
English 115
Mary Griffith
1 December 2014
The Concept of Immortality
According to Wikipedia, dystopian fiction is specified as consisting of a ...society
characterized by a focus on negative societies such as poverty, oppression, suffering, [etc.] that
society has most often brought upon itself (Wikipedia). Moreover, it involves the creation of
a horrible society that is headed down an irreversible path. Typically authors reveal the societys
future or issue by creating a dystopian character that lacks happiness, freedom, or even structure.
Two famous novels, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood,
are classified as dystopian fiction. Both novels have lead characters and common themes that
exemplify the above qualities; however, they lack similarities in their storylines. The common
theme between the two novels is that their characters yearn for immortality. The constant fear of
death, has been embedded in society since we discovered what death was. The constant fear of
the unknown has driven humanity to develop new techniques to be immortalized. In the novel,
Oryx and Crake, Atwood uses the scientific approach to delay the inevitable while in Fahrenheit
451, Bradbury uses the books as an example of how the author is immortalized through the
works of literature.
The novel Oryx and Crake, is told through Snowman, otherwise known as Jimmys,
perspective. The story begins with Snowman living by a body of water with a group of alien
type humans who are called the Crakers. Their relationship is odd because the Crakers
knowledge of fear and humans is little to nothing. In exchange for knowledge, the Crakers offer

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Snowman one fish per week for information on humanity. Throughout the novel Snowman has
constant flashbacks to his past. The reader quickly learns that Snowmans name used to be
Jimmy. As the story progresses, we learn that Jimmys father was a geneticist that worked on
pigs to harvest organs in order to transplant them on humans to further their lifespans. The
constant experimentation and killing of the pigs, also called pigoons, affected Jimmy
emotionally. He didnt believe that experimenting on the pigoons was fair because they could not
do anything to defend themselves. This was the first indication in which the story was headed
towards an immortal route. From Jimmys childhood the idea of prolonging death was constantly
embedded in his mind.
As the story advances, we are introduced to the other two main characters: Oryx and
Crake. Crake is Jimmys friend who becomes obsessed with creating an immortal species. He
uses science to alter the genetics of humans and eliminates the factors that he believes create
conflict. Crakes view on immortality is made very clear towards the end of the novel when he
states, Immortality, ' is a concept. If you take 'mortality' as being, not death, but the
foreknowledge of it and the fear of it, then 'immortality' is the absence of such fear (Atwood
303). Crake viewed the ability to fear as a weakness of the human race. He believed that without
fear we are capable of being immortal. He then continues to say, ...babies are immortal. Edit out
the fear, and you'll be [immortal]... (Atwood 303). The Crakers, were never introduced to fear
or death, hence creating the theme of immortality.
Atwood continuously emphasizes Crakes view on immortality throughout the novel.
Crakes desire for immortality creates the mentality that All it takes is the elimination of one
generation (Atwood 223). In other words, by eliminating all previous generations of any
species, the new generation is capable of anything. Crake believes that by ...[breaking] the link

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in time between one generation and the next...its game over forever (Atwood 223). This
leads us to the novel, Fahrenheit 451, where this idealism reoccurs.
The novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a fireman named Guy Montag who
burns books for a living. In this society, not only are books illegal, but society as a whole does
not ask questions, nor do they have meaningful conversations. Instead, everyone is planted in
front of the television with no intellectual interaction with one another. One day Guy meets
Clarisse, who opens his eyes to the unanswered questions of life and happiness. Over the next
few days Guys continues to wonder about questions he has on why books are banned. He then
meets Faber, a professor, who explains how important books are to a person and how books
allow people to think for themselves. Faber also teaches Guys that books open the doors for
individuals to act freely based on their own ideals. The novels ending is very similar to the
message based on immortality. The novel ends with Guy and a few others who had memorized
several works of literature finding a new place to start a civilization with a society who are open
to the idea of books. This society also accepts the idea of freedom of speech and freedom to
behave and think as one pleases. The overall theme that this novel has embedded is that books
are immortal. Although they are not physically immortal, the concept of books are immortal. The
message they send or the feeling they gave their readers will forever be apart of those
individuals. As stated in the novel, ... Everyone must leave something behind when [they
die]...a book or a painting can cause immortality. In other words, anything that ... your hand
touched...so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or
that flower you planted, you're there... (Bradbury 173). Immortality doesnt mean to live
forever, but to have even a part of your mind or soul impact another forever. Thats what makes
authors immortal. This also corresponds back to the novel Oryx and Crake, and how Jimmy

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impacted the Crakers idea of death. This allows Jimmy to be immortalized to the Crakers
because they will always remember his stories.
Although the novels both concentrate on the theme of immortality they do so in different
forms. Fahrenheit 451, has a more underlying theme by referencing the novels and works of
literature written to the authors immortality. On the other hand, Oryx and Crake takes a more
direct approach to the term immortality by constantly stating their desires with the creation of the
Crakers along with Jimmys fathers experimentation to prolong death. Both novels exhibit the
desire for immortality along with dying a death without leaving a mark on the world. The term
immortality doesn't necessarily mean to live forever. As displayed in Fahrenheit 451,
immortality can be displayed through our works of art. For example, Leonardo Da Vinci is
always going to be remembered as the man who drew the Mona Lisa. His work of art created his
immortal value to our human race. Our souls and what we choose to do with them are what allow
us to be immortal. Both novels give the reader a different perspective on immortality but in
truth, its just how the reader sees it.

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Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. N.p.: n.p., 2003. Print.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. N.p.: n.p., 1953. Print.