Research question: How does Atwood use the division of the “word” people and the “number” people to comment on the devaluation of the humanities and lack of morals in a science dominated society

1. Margaret Atwood and the Labour of Literary Celebrity (Hulan, Renée. “Margaret Atwood and the Labour of Literary Celebrity by Lorraine York (Review).” University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 84, no. 3, 2015, pp. 270–71.) https://cuny-hc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_HC/9p6vcd/cdi_projectmuse_journals_596466_S1712527815300884

2. Authenticity and Atwood’s ‘Scientific Turn (Chilton, Myles. “Authenticity and Atwood’s ‘Scientific Turn.” Humanities, vol. 11, no. 6, 2022, p. 134, https://doi.org/10.3390/h11060134.) https://cuny-hc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_HC/9p6vcd/cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_2d40491d2c3a4a24aae525101fd1d389

3. Words vs Numbers (Mora-Gonzalez, Melissa. “Words vs. Numbers: A Review of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake.” Berkeley Fiction Review, 1 Mar. 2023) https://berkeleyfictionreview.org/2023/03/01/margaret-atwoods-oryx-and-crake-a-review/

4.13 Vulnerability as duality in speculative fiction  (Dinis, Eva. “Vulnerability as Duality in Speculative Fiction.” Mediating Vulnerability: Comparative Approaches and Questions of Genre, edited by Anneleen Masschelein et al., UCL Press, 2021, pp. 223–37. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1nnwhjt.17) https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1nnwhjt.17

5. Oryx Crake and Themes (​Winner, Kathryn. “Oryx and Crake Themes: History, Language & the Humanities.” LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 17 Jun 2015. Web. 26 Nov 2025.) https://www.litcharts.com/lit/oryx-and-crake/themes/history-language-the-humanities#:~:text=While%20Jimmy%20is%20literally%20one,to%20the%20problem%20of%20survival.

In order to find these sources, I used search engines like Google, hunter one search and jstor. I attempted the MLA site but like in the library nothing popped up. I searched “Atwood humanities” “oryx and crake humanites” and  “oryx and crake number vs words”. I will continue to look for more sites and resources but for now I feel like Google and the hunter one search website are more reliable in my opinion.

The central theme permeating pages 71-109 of Jenny Offill’s Weather is the overwhelming tension between personal anxiety and existential dread in the face of global crisis, specifically the climate emergency, and the ensuing search for an effective, or at least distracting, response. Lizzie Benson’s internal life becomes a fragmented mirror of the world’s chaos, illustrating how the macro-level threat of environmental collapse infiltrates and fractures the micro-level reality of domesticity. Her work for the Hell and High Water podcast forces her into a constant, immersive confrontation with apocalyptic possibilities, fueling a deep dive into survivalist fantasies and “prepper” culture as a desperate attempt to exert control over an uncontrollable future. This existential anxiety manifests as a need to escape, creating a powerful emotional undercurrent that leads her to the brink of infidelity with Will.

This near-affair represents a fleeting, personalized escape route from both her domestic obligations and the crushing weight of global responsibility. Simultaneously, the theme of emotional labor and caregiving is strongly present, as Lizzie continuously manages the anxieties of her recovering addict brother, Henry, whose own struggles with new fatherhood parallel Lizzie’s sense of fragility and fear for the future. The section highlights the juxtaposition of the mundane and the catastrophic, where everyday tasks working as a librarian, caring for family, navigating a marriage are conducted under the shadow of imminent, often-paralyzing doom. Ultimately, the theme is about the struggle for meaningful agency; it explores whether one can find a way to live, love, and care for others when the very foundation of existence feels unstable, suggesting that often, the only immediate action available is to find small, human connections, even precarious ones, or to retreat into the distracting, fragmented chaos of the internal world.

How does Atwood use the division of the “word” people and the “number” people to comment on the devaluation of the humanities and lack of morals in a science dominated society?

In Chapter 10 of Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood critiques the diminishing importance of the humanities and the arts in a world increasingly dominated by scientific, technological, and corporate priorities. Through Jimmy’s journey at the Martha Graham Academy and his later career, Atwood reveals a society where the arts are deemed redundant and insignificant, contributing little to social or economic development. Unlike his scientifically adept friend Crake, Jimmy is attracted to language, literature, and storytelling. However, these passions marginalize him in society. He is sent to the Martha Graham Academy, a lesser-known institution named after the renowned dancer, which symbolizes a time when the arts were more highly esteemed. The Academy offers courses such as “Problematics,” “Dead Languages,” and “Comparative Literature,” fields depicted as antiquated and lacking practical application. The school is regarded as a fallback for students who did not qualify for prestigious science institutions like the Watson-Crick Institute, which Crake attends. This educational hierarchy reflects a broader cultural perspective: scientific and business achievements are celebrated, while the arts are merely endured. Jimmy’s career trajectory further illustrates this notion. Despite his intelligence and creativity, his proficiency in language leads him to advertising and corporate manipulation, where he must influence consumer behavior instead of pursuing meaningful artistic endeavors. In this reality, language loses its aesthetic and ethical significance and becomes solely a tool for persuasion and economic gain. This commercialization of language signifies a wider cultural transformation where beauty, philosophy, and human emotion are only appreciated if they can generate revenue. Atwood employs Jimmy’s solitude and emotional richness to emphasize the losses incurred when a society neglects the humanities. In contrast to Crake’s cold logic and emotional detachment, Jimmy experiences profound feelings and grapples with finding purpose in a world that dismisses his values. Through his character, Atwood posits that the humanities are crucial to balance the advancement of science, anchored in empathy, ethical contemplation, and an understanding of the human experience. In conclusion, Chapter 10 portrays a dystopian future where the arts and humanities have been progressively undervalued. Atwood cautions against the perils of elevating technological progress above human insight, demonstrating how such a transition can lead to a society that is spiritually and morally impoverished.