Mesh And Symbiosis In Margaret Atwood’s Madd Addam Trilogy

Margaret Atwood is a leading figure in contemporary Canadian literature.Her Madd Addam trilogy,namely Oryx and Crake(2003),The Year of the Flood(2009),and Madd Addam(2013),has gained popularity since its first appearance in 2003.This series of speculative fiction warns the world about possible disasters which confront humanity and even the whole planet in the Anthropocene.In this new geographical age,a new relationship—mesh—appears.Humans,as one species and living things,connect with other living,non-human animals and non-living things closely in various ways in the Anthropocene.This thesis contains three chapters in addition to an introduction and a conclusion.The introduction outlines Margaret Atwood’s Madd Addam trilogy and the relevant scholarship,along with the objectives of this thesis and a brief introduction to the key concepts of mesh and symbiosis.This thesis will employ both concepts,while focusing on the interconnectedness and equality at the age of the Anthropocene.Chapter One reveals a new relationship between humans and non-human animals in the mesh.There is no center in the mesh.In Oryx and Crake,humans finally abandon anthropocentrism.They realize that they are not the center of the world but become one fragile species in the mesh after the pandemic.Non-human animals win their right and freedom,and even play influential roles.Among all non-human animals,the genetically engineered non-human animals—pigoons—become the opponents of mankind,whereas bees and maggots turn into human assistants.Chapter Two argues that,apart from non-human animals,non-living things wipe away anthropocentrism in the mesh and reveal their thing power,if viewed from Bill Brown’s perspective.In Madd Addam Trilogy,the non-living things—watch and clock—affect human feelings and play the roles of identity symbols.Yet,as one non-living thing and the culprit of air pollution,petroleum is not a simple object but a toxic element,which corrupts human minds,ruins human bodies,and even rebuilds the moral values in the post-apocalyptic mesh.In the third chapter,Timothy Morton’s concept of symbiosis is elaborated to reveal the interdependence and communication between humans and other living and non-living things in the mesh.Humans are no longer the center on earth;non-human animals and non-living things are subjects too;they own their unique agency.In The Year of the Flood,to cope with the Anthropocene crises like global warming and environmental pollution,God’s Gardeners show substantial symbiosis in their eco-friendly lifestyle,which is based on mutual respect and interdependence between humans and other living and non-living things.In all likelihood,in Madd Addam,symbiosis is achieved through communication and cooperation in the post-apocalyptic mesh.Conclusion generalizes the connection between humans and other living and non-living things in the mesh in the Anthropocene.Only when humans realize that their survival depends on non-human animals and non-living things,as well as the cooperation and information exchange among these three,can humans abandon the inherent anthropocentric bias and embrace sustainable symbiosis.