In "Oryx and Crake," Margaret Atwood depicts the ruins of a dystopian society once ruled by power hungry corporations. Snowman, the main character of the novel and seemingly the only real human alive, is left to survive in the contaminated environment his society has created. Through the main character's recollection of the past Atwood is able to develop the theme that a society no longer governed by morals or ethics can lead to destruction.
As the novel begins, the reader is immediately exposed to Snowman's extremely poor living conditions. Snowman is homeless and surviving on the little food and resources he has. From day to day Snowman is constantly faced with his deteriorating mental state. Female voices torment him, whispering in his ear as he struggles to hold onto his sanity. Along with this Snowman is constantly dodging several mysterious crosses of animals like wolvogs, a mix between a wolf and dog or the dangerous pigoons, a mix between a human and pig. Snowman is barely able to take care of himself yet he seems to be caring for a group of children and adults he calls the Crakers. They depend heavily on Snowman, constantly questioning things they do not understand, like the hair that grows on his face. The Crakers not only have very simple intelligence, but they do not even seem to be fully human. They have a variation of skin tones yet, they all have green eyes, something Snowman calls "Crake's aesthetic"(8). Its as if these creatures were made with their own personal touch. This isolation implies to the reader a catastrophic event that has wiped humanity off the face of the planet. .
The story behind Snowman's miserable existence slowly unravels as he begins to delve into his childhood. His earliest memory consist of a bonfire he attends as a child where piles of sheep, cows, and pigs are systematically burned due to a manmade bioform outbreak. Jimmy, Snowman's real name, feels a great deal of compassion for these animals, a trait that would distinguish him from most of the people in his society.