Chris Rider

Life Unlimited? Section 2

Complexity of Natural Limits
In The Windup Girl, the cheshires are a species of the household cat family, genetically
modified in the image of the Cheshire cat, from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol, by a
calorie man in order to appease his daughter. With a 97% reproduction rate, the cheshires soon
wiped out all other species of cat through breeding. Due to their unnatural abilities, cheshires
are clever, thriving in places where they are despised and are often hunted for sport and pest
control, which doesnt stop them from populating nearly every corner of the city (Bacigalupi,
26). In the Bankok that exists during the novel, the population hold their religious beliefs closely,
often letting them dictate their attitude toward things they deem natural, or conversely unnatural.
For example, Cheshire cats around a factory floor would start rumors that Phii Oun the Cheshire
trickster spirit has caused the calamity and lead the workers to refuse to attend their job, all
because of the superstitions that surround the unnatural (Bacigalupi, 26).
Another being we see in the novel whose naturalness is questioned is Emiko, a Japanese
windup. A genetically modified being, she is primarily human but contains genes from other
animals in order to inhibit certain traits such as obedience from a dog gene, for example. In the
world portrayed in The Windup Girl, windups are never considered human, but the way in which
people treat and regard them is very different from one country to the next. In Japan, windups are
considered property above all and are, therefore, respected, a result of the respect of the master,
in a way, trickling down to that of his property. In contrast, the people of Bankok treat windups
as lesser beings, well below megadonts who have unions even when they have lack of intelligent
conscience.

A great deal of complexity arise when one tries to establish limits and create lines
dividing the natural from the modified. In order to do such a thing, one must define either side,
with clear criteria in order to make a definite line. However, there is no scientific way to classify
these things; as you enter the micro world from the macro we are accustomed to the naturalness
of things becomes a blurry concept. Questions arise that cant be answered concretely with
science because the state of being natural is a manifestation of mans need for spiritual
guidance, an answer to the why and how regarding the world around us. The idea of being
natural and science are quite opposite, and therefore concrete lines cannot be established using
science. Due to this, people turn to their faith to answer these questions and that is where the
complexity arises.
What constitutes natural in accordance to the religion found in The Windup Girl is not
clear, but can easily be assumed to be something that came into existence completely separate
from human involvement, i.e. natural birth. In this world, within that context, nearly nothing is
natural. All the things utilized in the lives of an average Bankok citizen, including food, labor,
transportation, pleasure, and more, are a result of genetic engineering, making them inherently
unnatural. Their lives depend on the unnatural in order to survive. The great wall that keeps the
seas at bay, keeping the entire city from being swallowed by the ocean, is unnatural. It combats
the forces of nature for the well-being of the people in the city. Their city is in constant and direct
opposition to the natural order of things, against Mother Nature and her wrath at all times. The
existence of the city of Bankok and the people within are a direct contradiction to what is natural.
If we assume that the meaning of natural is with accordance of nature; adhering to
certain laws of nature; coming from nature, then humanity as a whole, as well as its influence
on the environment, is unnatural. Animals are inherently meant to be in the wild, able to live

freely. The creation and protection of the human civilization that is depicted in The Windup Girl
is an affront to nature. The city destroyed the environment around it and when the environment
fought back, in the form of monsoons and rising sea levels that wouldve flooded the city, the
humans once again separated themselves from nature and kept the sea at bay with the wall. The
megadonts are genetically engineered animals for the use of labor. They have labor unions but
they still work in grueling conditions amounting to a menial and overall insignificant life. These
animals were made to be abused and for the betterment of society. Here we see man utilizing the
resources found within nature, corrupting the natural order of things, and using said corruption
for their benefit.
Many questions arise regarding the criteria for the classification of humans when the
people of Bankok shun windups. Although windups are programmed and have certain noticeable
characteristics, they do have the same organs, skin, and thoughts as those born naturally. Emiko
has thoughts, feeling, wants, and desires. She has nearly every emotion that a normal person
would have, yet this obviously is of no concern to the people of Bankok as they classify windups
as lesser beings. The deciding factor for the people of Bankok regarding the naturalness of things
is the existence of a soul. The sea wall and the food they eat every day, both a result of the
modification of natural things for the survival of the city, are not considered unnatural because
they depend on them and they arent conscious beings; they are unnatural necessities in a world
where the unnatural is despised. Beings such as the Cheshire and Emiko have no soul, according
to the people of Bankok, and are therefore unnatural. Similar to Emiko, the Cheshire is just like
any other cat with cat organs, cat fur, and so on. But since they look different and have such a
high reproduction rate, both attributes chosen by the person who modified the organism, they are
unnatural.

When it comes to the cheshires, the people of Bankok insist they have no soul, and that is
the reason for being unnatural. However, when it comes to a scientific inquiry into the matter, the
soul cannot be considered and the difference between Cheshire and regular cats is a matter of
aesthetics and reproductive ability. As Somchai says in the novel, They breed. They eat. They
live. They breatheIf you pet them, they will purr (Bacigalupi.173). These cheshires are
essentially identical to every species of cat in regards to behavior and identifying characteristics
with the exception of a few genes, a claim that can be said for all species of cat and all species on
the Earth for that matter.
While in Japan, Emiko was taught by Mizumi-sensei a very important aspect to the
question of the existence of a soul. Emiko recalls these teachings as she says,
there are two parts to a New Persons nature. The evil half,
ruled by the animal hungers of their genes, by the many splicings
and additions that changed them into what they were. And
balanced against this, the civilized self, the side that knows the
difference between niche and animal urge... Two sides of a coin,
two sides of the soul. Mizumi-sensei helped them own their souls.
(Bacigalupi, 154)
Here we gain valuable insight to the definition of a soul, the naturalness of human nature, and the
defining characteristics that define what it means to be a human. Here we can see that, by
Mizumi-senseis definition, a soul has an animalistic side and a human side, one that can think in
opposition of the animal side. Essentially, the defining characteristic of a human being is the
acknowledgment of animalistic urges and the direct disregard for those urges. A sense of selfawareness develops where to be human one must act unnaturally. Again we see the motif of the

very existence of humanity being unnatural. To consider the humanity of Emiko, we must
observe the two sides of her soul. She does not have an animalistic side identical to that of a
human, complete with urges such as lust, greed, and gluttony; instead she has the genes chosen
by her creator that force her to obey. This is the inhuman side of Emiko. The lack of self-control,
an urge to do something that she doesnt want to, is the evil side of her soul. Although the
evil side is not identical to that of a human soul, the civilized side is. Combating the
animalistic urges she has, is Emiko; the personality of Emiko, the person she is, fights her urges
and strives to be human. The civilized side is why she was respected in Japan and her animalistic
side is the reason she is treated so poorly in Bankok. The Thai refuse to look deeper than her
robotic motions and only see the unnatural components of her. In Bankok, everything is taken at
face value, as we see with the cheshires, windups, yellow cards, foreigners, nature, and more.