The Children of Men
Chapter 6
by James, P. D.The chapter opens with Theo Faron’s rigid daily routine, which includes writing a journal, mandatory survival training, and teaching at the university. His life is structured yet devoid of passion, reflecting a society clinging to order amid decay. The Council of England mandates citizens to learn survival skills, and Theo chooses hospital work and house maintenance, though he finds little fulfillment in either. His evenings are spent in predictable rituals, like dining in Hall or attending Evensong at Magdalen Chapel, where he appreciates the choir but avoids the religious aspect. This routine underscores the emptiness of a world on the brink of collapse.
While walking to Evensong, Theo encounters a woman pushing a pram with an eerily lifelike doll, a remnant of a past craze where childless women treated dolls as substitutes for babies. The doll’s exaggerated features—unnaturally blue eyes, porcelain skin, and adult-like hair—unsettle him, evoking both pity and disgust. The scene highlights society’s desperation to mimic lost maternal joys, with some even staging pseudo-births and funerals for these dolls. Theo recalls debates over whether churches should sanction such rituals, illustrating the absurdity and tragedy of a world without children.
The encounter takes a violent turn when another woman suddenly snatches the doll and smashes it against a wall. The owner’s visceral scream of grief mirrors the pain of real loss, exposing the fragility of her delusion. Theo watches as she collapses, futilely gathering the broken pieces, but he walks away, unwilling to engage. The bystanders’ indifference reflects societal numbness to such outbursts, particularly among middle-aged women who grew up during the infertility crisis. The incident leaves Theo deeply disturbed, though he masks his discomfort.
The chapter closes with Theo arriving at Magdalen Chapel, where the choir’s performance briefly distracts him. His thoughts drift to a past incident where a deer wandered into the chapel, only to be violently driven out by the chaplain. This memory, like the doll’s destruction, symbolizes a world that has lost its harmony and compassion. Theo’s detachment from these events underscores his emotional isolation, mirroring the broader societal decay. The chapter paints a bleak portrait of humanity clinging to rituals and illusions in a dying world.
FAQs
1. What is Theo’s weekly routine, and how does it reflect the societal conditions in “The Children of Men”?
Answer:
Theo’s routine is highly structured, reflecting both personal discipline and societal mandates in a dystopian world. He teaches mature students at the university, attends hospital training sessions (for practical survival skills), and participates in house maintenance workshops. His evenings include journaling, dining in Hall twice a week, and attending Evensong at Magdalen Chapel for the choir’s music. This routine mirrors the Council of England’s efforts to impose order amid societal collapse, where citizens are encouraged to learn survival skills voluntarily. The rigidity of Theo’s schedule underscores the bleak, controlled environment where even leisure activities like worship have dwindled into eccentricities (e.g., chapels are rarely used).
2. Analyze the significance of the doll incident in Beaumont Street. How does it highlight themes of societal decay and psychological coping mechanisms?
Answer:
The doll incident epitomizes the collective trauma of infertility in this world. The woman parading the doll—a “Six-Monthly,” an expensive, lifelike replica—symbolizes desperate maternal longing, while the attacker’s violent destruction of it reveals societal resentment toward these delusions. The owner’s visceral grief mirrors real bereavement, emphasizing how deeply the Omega (global infertility) has scarred humanity. The scene critiques escapism: middle-aged women, who grew up during Omega, are described as “notoriously unstable,” showing how society both enables and judges these coping mechanisms. The bystanders’ indifference (including Theo’s) further reflects desensitization to suffering in a broken world.
3. Compare Theo’s reactions to the doll and the deer in Magdalen Chapel. What do these contrasting responses reveal about his character?
Answer:
Theo is repelled yet fascinated by the doll, feeling pity and contempt for its owner but avoiding intervention. His detachment aligns with his general disillusionment. In contrast, he recalls the chapel deer incident with discomfort, noting the chaplain’s cruelty toward the confused, docile animal. While he dismisses both events (the doll as “harmless play-acting,” the deer as a fleeting oddity), his lingering memory of the deer’s innocence suggests suppressed empathy. These reactions reveal Theo’s conflicted nature: he maintains emotional distance to survive psychologically but retains traces of compassion, particularly toward vulnerable creatures—a subtle critique of humanity’s moral erosion.
4. How does P.D. James use religious imagery and institutions to underscore the novel’s themes? Provide examples from the chapter.
Answer:
Religious imagery highlights societal decline and hollow rituals. Magdalen Chapel’s Evensong, attended for its choir rather than worship, symbolizes religion’s reduced role—aesthetic rather than spiritual. The debate over consecrating doll funerals (a “minor ecclesiastical dispute”) satirizes how institutions scramble for relevance in absurd ways. The chaplain’s brutality toward the deer contrasts with the chapel’s intended sanctity, mirroring how authority figures perpetuate violence despite their roles. These details reinforce themes of lost meaning: religion, like parenthood, has become a performative relic in a dying world.
5. Critical Thinking: Why might Theo’s journaling be described as an “attempt to impose order on the shapelessness of existence”? Connect this to broader themes in dystopian literature.
Answer:
Theo’s journaling reflects a quintessential dystopian trope: individuals clinging to routine to assert control amid chaos. Like Winston’s diary in 1984 or Offred’s narration in The Handmaid’s Tale, Theo’s writing is a futile yet necessary act of self-preservation. The “shapelessness of existence” refers to societal collapse—vanishing purpose (no future generations), eroded institutions, and enforced survivalism. By documenting his life, Theo resists dissolution, but the task’s joyless nature (“not a pleasure”) underscores dystopia’s psychological toll. This mirrors broader themes where characters use structured rituals to combat despair, highlighting humanity’s struggle for meaning in oppressive worlds.
Quotes
1. “The task of writing his journal–and Theo thought of it as a task, not a pleasure–had become part of his over-organised life, a nightly addition to a weekly routine half imposed by circumstance, half deliberately devised in an attempt to impose order and purpose on the shapelessness of existence.”
This opening line introduces Theo’s character and the dystopian world’s oppressive structure, where even personal rituals are mechanized. It reflects the novel’s theme of imposed order in a decaying society.
2. “Xan had always known the wisdom of giving people a choice in matters where choice was unimportant.”
This quote reveals the manipulative governance of the Council of England, highlighting the illusion of autonomy in a controlled society. It underscores the political themes of power and psychological manipulation.
3. “The doll was revealed, propped upright against the cushions, the two arms, hands mittened, resting on the quilted coverlet, a parody of childhood, at once pathetic and sinister.”
This vivid description of the doll encapsulates the societal desperation for parenthood in a childless world. The imagery underscores the grotesque coping mechanisms humanity adopts in the face of infertility.
4. “The sound was horrible, the scream of the tortured, the bereaved, a terrified, high-pitched squealing, inhuman yet all too human, unstoppable.”
The visceral reaction to the doll’s destruction mirrors the collective trauma of a world without children. This moment exemplifies the psychological breakdown lurking beneath societal norms.
5. “Middle-aged women, those who had reached adulthood in the year of Omega, were notoriously unstable.”
This passing observation reveals the generational divide and societal judgment in this dystopia. It critiques how trauma is pathologized rather than understood.