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Theme Of Humanity In 'The House Of The Scorpion'

Decent Essays

In ‘The House of the Scorpion’ (THS), Nancy Farmer utilises a variety of themes, language features and even characters to direct her message to the reader. The theme of humanity is mentioned several times and introduced in a way that gets the audience thinking. The perspective of clones is also a topic which is portrayed in multiple ways through different characters. The final and most argued theme in this novel are the ‘ethics of cloning’. These three main themes give the story a deeper meaning. They also allow the reader to dive in and explore these ideas in an immersive manner.
The definition of humanity is portrayed by Farmer in multiple ways through the numerous characters in the novel. The predominance of the Alacrans’ look at humanity is similar to a hierarchy. They have the belief that those with power deserve to be acknowledged and those below are mere ‘tools’ to be used. We learn that “They work without resting…they don’t drink water until someone tell[s] them to.” (pg. 82). This indicates that the eejits are treated harshly without being given any rights. We also know that most of the eejits are made from illegal immigrants and those who disobey. The scorpion is used several times throughout the novel to symbolise strength, authority and even evil. Contradictory to this is the Virgin Statue which symbolises “…all gentle things” (pg. 60). This symbol opposes a hierarchy and rather focuses on equality and love among all people. Celia is always singing songs of the

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