The people in the chaos cannot learn. They cannot understand what they are doing to the sea and the sky and the plants and the animals. They cannot understand that they are killing them, and that they will end by killing themselves. And there are so many of them, and each one of them is doing part of the killing, whether they know it or not. And when
In "MaddAddam," Margaret Atwood explores the theme of environmental destruction through the lens of societal chaos. The characters live in a reality where the consequences of their actions on nature are ignored or misunderstood. This ignorance leads to a collective responsibility in harming the environment, reflected in the degradation of the sea, sky, plants, and animals.
The quote emphasizes the tragedy of this chaos—individuals, caught up in their lives, fail to recognize their impact on the planet. Each person's contribution to ecological damage, whether conscious or not, adds to a larger disaster that threatens not only nature but humanity itself. Atwood’s cautionary tale serves as a reminder of the critical need for awareness and responsibility towards our environment.
