The House of the Scorpion centers on young adult Matt and his father, who shares his name but mostly goes by El Patron. He is a drug lord. Matt is a clone who initially trusts his father, but he eventually learns he was created so that his father could harvest organs from him. Over the course of the book, we see Matt wrestle with the question of whether he can be different than his father. The theme of a child struggling to carve out a life independent of what their parents want for them is a common one, made more interesting by the fact that Matt is a clone.
Ultimately, we see Matt lead an uprising in a neighboring country before returning to take over his father's legacy, swearing to dismantle his drug regime from the inside. This suggests a strong belief in free will, but we also see that his father's legacy is something he has to take on. He can and does choose to act different from his father, but he still chooses to step into his father's position when the option presents itself.
While the subject of House of the Scorpion is cloning, the main themes that Nancy Farmer presents are concerned with the definition of human nature and its relationship to environment: a classic nature versus nurture argument.
Closely related to this is the theme of free will contrasted with destiny. Matt Alacran is a clone who was created by a villainous drug trafficker nicknamed El Patron, who craved immortality. Matt only learns this as a teenager, and it causes him considerable anxiety: what if he is innately evil because he is identical to his father? Because his circumstances are very different, however, Matt has a chance to make a better life than the original from whom he was cloned. He is able to exercise free will and reject the nefarious livelihood that his father followed.
No comments:
Post a Comment