Grady Ku

01.21.2015
FRINQ Essay #1

In the Windup Girl, there is much to be said about the inquiries between the genetically
modified and the naturalsome of which are closer to reality than wed like it to be. Reading
through all of the articles on GMOs and the heated debates around them, its easy to agree that
GMOs are a very upstream topic. Take Emiko for example. A genetically modified, lab
engineered, human cyborg with all of the traits of a human save her overheating skin and her
stutter-step walking. She has thoughts to mull over, questions to ask, and a conscious for crying
out loud, all at her disposal. Yet in the book, she is merely referred to as that thing and
windup and even heechy keechy. Where do we draw the line between the modified and
the natural? And how can we relate the genetic faults/geniuses present in the book to what is
going on in our present day? This is what Id like to explore within The Windup Girl through
various perspectives and objects.
Lets start with Emiko. I think whats interesting to note about Emiko is her dichotomy
between actions and thoughts. On one hand, she must do what is pleasing to her patron as she
was engineered with dog-like genes for obedience (or the evil half). On the other, she has her
own thoughts and morals that fight back against the animalistic impulses of her evil half (the
civilized half). On page 44, when Anderson and Emiko meet for the first time, we get to see the
inner monologue of Emiko where you can see her struggling with herself and how her mind and
actions disagree with one another. The question arises once again: how the heck do we define
Emiko? Is it possible for something to be genetically modified yet human at the same time?
What are the guidelines to determine what is human and what isnt? Many times throughout the

book, there are mentions of her skin becoming overheated, needing ice to cool her down and
stutter-step motions betraying her attempts at being normal. Judging from her external
problems, its easy to assume she isnt human at all. All of the above features sound closer to a
robot than a human. But going past the physical giveaways of her windup nature, what about her
moral/spiritual/emotional desires? In the middle of Chapter 9, when she is being held down at
knife edge by a crazy guy, she is caught in the decision to fight for her life or to succumb to her
fate. Though it takes a few seconds to register, she finally breaks free of his grasp and takes off
through the market crowd. Even during those couple of seconds, we see her mind running logical
processes. Not only that, one can experience the fight-or-flight instinct that is present in just
about every living animalthe fear that she felteven as a windup. Later on in the same
chapter, she and Anderson have a brief talk where we get a peek at her spiritual beliefs and where
they lie (or dont lie). Finally, her sense for feelings and emotions, particularly infatuation.
Conclusively, Emiko exhibits many qualities similar to that of us, yet her mistreatment within the
book goes without saying. But the natural and modified go beyond just Emiko herself. This
inquiry can be used to explore the many GMOs in the book.
U-Tex rice/noodles, the GMO grain, has become a staple food and part of the norm
within the futuristic Thailand of Bacigalupis world. With calories having become as valuable as
money, food is no longer a luxury and now the world must depend on GMOs to survive.
Alongside U-Tex rice, there is this new ngaw fruit that has been genehacked into existence
which, fun fact, actually exists naturally within present day Thailand. With fictitious blister
rust and ivory beetles having ransacked whatever clean fields might be left in the world, organic
foods have become long lost and genetically modified crops reign supreme. In our current world,
its hard to imagine a time when we would have to solely rely on GMOs. With all of the

backlash towards Golden Rice and controversies regarding the practices of large GMO
corporations, the fear of the unnatural is enormous and as a result, GMOs are poorly received.
If I were to draw a parallel between Dubocks article and Emiko, in the article, the public
consensus was entirely negative towards the golden rice because they believe that it is harmful
to them. Even when scientific evidence is provided to support that the rice presents no more of a
threat than naturally grown crops, because of the perseverance of anti-GMO parties, the public is
trapped in their own misinformed delusion. In the book, windups are treated very much the
same: objects of pure disgust. Creatures that talk and think like humans yet walk in eerie robotic
motions; hated when rarely anyone really knows what theyre like. Anderson is one of the few
people who actually understands and sees Emiko as a person, just like Dubock is one of the few
people who understands that GMOs are not harmful. Perhaps we need more open discussions
about GMOs so that the public could have their questions asked/answered versus one man
writing his view on GMOs (Dubock). It would help clarify a lot of the questions that the
misinformed public might have. Also, I felt it was particularly eye-opening when, back in
Chapter 5, Anderson stumbles upon a photo of a fat farang and curses him for holding onto the
treasure of the ages. If one could imagine a world where organic foods have gone extinct,
perhaps the case for GMOs only gets strengthened. When all you have are GMOs, youll eat
what you can to survive. But in the book, it doesnt matter as much whether GMOs are good or
bad or if we should be lobbying against themthey just are.
Finally, there are a couple of genetically modified animals in the book. The large
megodont (which sounds like an elephant with four tusks), the molting cheshire cats (which
appear to have been given chameleon genes for camouflage) and the growling mastiffs. The
hulking megodonts, I assume, are the last species descended from elephants and are only used as

an engine to power factories. Besides that, they dont appear to have much of a significant role in
the book. And then there are these mysterious felines that lurk wherever death is near. From my
understanding, these cheshires were modified with chameleon genes for camouflage thus
turning them into the ultimate predator. And after years of having them around, the scientists
admitted their mistake when they realized that entire species have disappeared because of these
cheshires. Just recently, I read an article about genetically modified mosquitos being potentially
let out into Florida in an attempt to destroy the spread of a lethal virus called chikungunya. The
male Aedes aegypti is bred with a specific protein made to kill off the larvae after they mate with
a female. While this sounds good at face value, the costs/benefits havent been fully laid out and
public opinion has been mostly negative. I think if theres anything we can take away from the
cheshires in The Windup Girl, its that genetically modifying animals might be something we
want to approach one small step at a time. While well remain in the dark as to why the cats were
genetically modified at all, one can only guess that it had stemmed from what most people would
call good intentions. It mightve even started with a corporations sales pitch that GMOs are
required to prevent world starvation.
In conclusion, with the latest read on Dubocks issues with the Cartagena Protocol, he
presented the proposition that GMOs are very safe and that they do not hold any more of a
higher risk than naturally grown crops. While he did say that there was evidence supporting his
statement, genetic engineering as a science is still somewhat young and I think if we were to
come to a conclusive answer that GMOs are all fine and dandy, it might come back to bite us
later. In any case, Bacigalupi gives us a chillingly real vision of what could happen if we were to
get ahead of ourselves. Whether its for the name of corporate profit, human well-being or just
out of curiosity, GMOs and genetic engineering is best left for those who are willing to walk on

eggshellsand possibly be responsible for entire species going extinct. So what is the line
between the natural and the modified? And by extension, the acceptable and the unacceptable? I
believe that the answers to those questions will come through multiple debates/discussions and
after vigorous field trials are done to ensure absolute safety of GMOs. If anything, Bacigalupi
already has an idea on where genetic modification is headednow its time for us to create our
idea.