“We knew it was all going to go to hell, and we just stood by and watched it happen anyway. There ought to be a prize for that kind of stupidity.”
This dystopian world in the novel is as a result of climate change that remained unchecked until it was too late. Jamie is idealistic and blunt with his words about the shortcomings of the human race towards securing the future of Earth. In the quote, he affirms that the human civilization failed itself by not taking measures towards the crisis that they now face. Climate change is arguably the prime issue in the current times and it is up to the people to turn around the adverse effects. Thus, the statement resonates in the story as much as it does in our reality hence shows the weight in Jamie’s words.
“People only really live when they’re about to die…Before then it’s all a waste. You don’t appreciate how good it is until you’re really in the s**t.”
The story delves into the fundamentals of human nature in a world that has changed drastically and continues to change. Jamie expresses the idea that humanity is crippled by shortcomings that are at the core of our nature. Despite civilizations facing signs of an impending danger society for the most part remains unconcerned until the worst happens. Accordingly, the issue of climate change is ignored up until irreversible effects have occurred. In the narrative, the American Southwest has become a dystopian wasteland where the poor scavenge to survive due to a shortage of water and resources.
“He told Maria how the Earth held hundreds of millions of gallons of water deep underground. Ancient water that had seeped down into it when glaciers melted.”
In the dystopian future resources that were once abundant become scarce, in this case, water is the invaluable commodity. In a world that has turned into a wasteland, the poor can only reminisce about the past or have hope of a future they possibly cannot attain. In the quote, the hydrologist informs Maria of the world that was and how they have to adapt to the new normal. The water resources that were in abundance have transformed into a luxury item that only the rich can have and exploit.
