A Hermeneutic from Dystopian Fiction, or Creating as an Act of Love [Kevin Shoop]

Last updated on: August 16, 2018 at 2:21 pm by Kevin Shoop

A Hermeneutic from Dystopian Fiction, or Creating as an Act of Love [Kevin Shoop] 2018-08-16T14:21:48-05:00 Kevin Shoop

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“If you act according to a belief, that is the same thing as having the belief.” – Margaret Atwood (Toby, quoting Adam One, in MaddAddam)

“We read to know we’re not alone.” – William Nicholson, Shadowlands

***

Before you begin reading, you should know the following:

I will not be discussing the Hunger Games series or the Divergent series. I haven’t read or seen any of the books or movies.
I will be sharing some thoughts about Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy, which includes Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam. So: SPOILER ALERT!

Still with me? If so, read on…

***

Fiction writers have always amazed me. I took one Creative Writing class in college, and it just about killed me. Each student was required to write two short stories. Throughout the semester, students read and discussed each story with the author present; the author was not permitted to speak. It was painful to sit quietly and listen to other students casually pick apart the words and completely miss the point of my story!

Other than one short murder mystery—hastily written during an Agatha Christie phase—those two stories are the only complete works of fiction I’ve ever written. I so admire those who can create characters, construct plot, and weave profound meaning into the whole, seemingly out of thin air. Margaret Atwood is a writer, a modern master, who makes all of that look easy. Her creativity is awe-inspiring.

***

Last year, Atwood completed the final book in the MaddAddam trilogy (MaddAddam). The trilogy is set in the not-too-distant future marked by extreme temperatures and weather. The economic divide is also extreme: people either live and work in gated Corporations, or they eke out a living in the crime-ridden Pleeblands. A major group of characters within Atwood dystopian world is a sect of Christians called God’s Gardeners. The 2nd book of the trilogy, The Year of the Flood, focuses almost exclusively on the members of this group as they struggle to survive in a deteriorating world.

The detail and background that Atwood gave to the God’s Gardeners is astounding. Each section in The Year of the Flood begins with a homily from Adam One (the leader of the God’s Gardeners) and a hymn from the God’s Gardeners hymnbook. In the audiobook, the hymns are sung by a tenor soloist, sometimes accompanied by a choir. Through these homilies, hymns, and elsewhere in the book, Atwood provides a glimpse into the Biblical hermeneutic of the Gardeners. Creation is sacred. Man-made pollution, materialism, and waste are cardinal sins. God made everything—plants, animals, and humans—for a purpose; using these gifts against their intended purpose is a grave sin. It’s evident that this hermeneutic is developed as a response to the reality on the ground. These are new wineskins indeed.

In addition to the hermeneutic, there are characters within the Gardeners with differing adherence and devotion to the community’s beliefs and practices. The wisest ones live according to their beliefs despite their significant doubt. Toby, a primary character in this book and in MaddAddam, is rescued from a vicious boss and given a home with the Gardeners. Toby never quite buys into all the beliefs and strict customs of the Gardeners, but she is still loved and protected and given a home. She works as a teacher to young Gardeners, and apprentices under an “Eve.” (All leaders within the Gardeners are designated as Adams and Eves.)

I relate to Toby. I can’t exactly say how much of the story of Jesus (and how much of the Bible) I believe is literal, figurative, or just myth/hearsay. It’s a hell of a lot of doubt for a so-called Christian to have. However, I aim to keep living as if it were true, with hope that the Holy Spirit will be faithful.

***

Margaret Atwood is a tremendously gifted and accomplished writer, so the insights one can glean from her word are profound and numerous. But I believe that any act of writing is a divine act in two key ways, regardless of the talent of the writer.

The act of writing demonstrates a key characteristic of God. An individual bears the image of her Creator when she creates a story.
The act of writing necessarily compels the writer to share something of herself. Those who read the work are looking at a window into the soul of the writer.

I’ve always loved the quote from Shadowlands: “We read to know we’re not alone.” I didn’t fully understand why this was true until I understood that books, stories, songs, paintings all connect us to the artist. This connection branches out to all readers, listeners, and admires of the artist’s work. In opening these thin places of profound connection, artists are creating a potential and a capacity for Love.

–

[Image by Libby Levi, CC via Flickr]

Uncategorized

cultural

Previous Post

June 4, 2014

I Know My Place [Kelly Green]

Next Post

June 8, 2014 Pentecost Survived, Pentecost Received

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2018 August 2018 July 2018 July 2017 May 2017 January 2017 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 March 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 March 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz