Nancy Farmer’s science fiction novel entitled The House of the Scorpion addresses several issues, which relate to problems we are currently facing within modern society. One of these issues pertains to gene manipulation. This is due to the fact that the society described within Farmer’s novel has created an “army” of drones, which they refer to as “eejits.” The eejits are the clones of various members within Farmer’s society who have had their “intelligence and individuality removed,” (Atwell & O’Quinn 46). They are used to perform “menial labor” and then culled by the wealthy, individuals who “extend their lives by harvesting the organs of their own living clones,” (Atwell & O’Quinn 46). Farmer’s society is in some ways reflective of American society when one considers who has access to medical insurance and the best health care. This is due to the fact that the wealthy can afford to buy into the best health care programs and pay for expensive treatments that their less affluent counterparts cannot. Meanwhile, the poor’s need for adequate healthcare is often exacerbated by the social problems that they are forced to contend with on an everyday basis. For example, the poor are often forced to live in the worst areas, (e.g. those with poor educational systems and poorer living conditions where they may be exposed to toxins such as lead paint). Furthermore, the poor often cannot afford the healthiest food and may be forced to live off highly processed unhealthy food, which is often associated with poorer health. Third, the poor are also often unemployed, underemployed, or employed in dangerous work environments where they are more likely to be injured than their more affluent counterparts. Furthermore, their inability to generate a large deal of income makes it more difficult for them to pay for everything that they need to survive, (e.g. food and clean water). Many people in this situation recognize that the best thing to do would be to go to college so that they could get a better job and make more money with which to support themselves, but they can’t for a number of factors—they have to support themselves, their family, there is no time, etc. The vicious cycle of poverty that these individuals find themselves in creates a large deal of stress, which wears each of their bodies down. This causes the impoverished to become more susceptible to viruses and other bodily ills. Often, because they are uninsured or underinsured, they cannot afford to go to the doctor as often as their rich counterparts. As a result, their ills often go unchecked until it is too late to save them. Alternatively, the impoverished may be unable to afford the kinds of treatments necessary to make them better, forcing them to suffer through their aches, pains, and illnesses. Therefore, although the rich can afford “good food,” better housing, and a “healthier” lifestyle, which often reduces their need to see doctors, it is the impoverished segment of the population, which tends to require the services medical professionals can provide the most. Again, being that the less affluent are unable to afford it, they do not go, and eventually, they deteriorate and die, (often long before their more affluent counterparts). This is due to the fact that the rich can afford to get regular check-ups and treat their ills with medicine and other (expensive) medical procedures. In effect, this allows the rich to live longer, healthier lives than their less affluent counterparts, mirroring the type of society, which Farmer described in her book. In order to amend the issue in both worlds, (Farmer’s and our own), we need to make medical care and procedures affordable to everyone so that they can all live long, healthy, happy lives.
