Nancy Farmer wrote “The House of the Scorpion”, about Matteo Alacran. He actually is a clone of El Patron. Matt is disowned by his entire family, apart from the drug lord. However, he does love him as a pet. Cecilia acts as Matt’s caregiver at the “Big House”. Matt is not allowed to see any other children. The Alacrans treat Matt cruelly and El Patron is furious about Matt’s living circumstances. He orders him to be placed in a normal room. The ethical question surrounding Matt’s treatment starts to emerge at this point. Matt discovers a corpse in the Opium field. He actually finds an eejit. An eejit is a human slave with their own computer chip. Eejits were a horrible concept. It took away the human existence and individual choice. Matt fled Aztlan to Mexico in search of the ‘Lost Boys’ communism. Although it seems otherwise, the Keepers indulge in a variety of delicacies and the Lost Boys are restricted to plankton. Matt leads a rebellion against their government and dismantles it. Nancy Farmer sent messages to inform Matt about the corruption that has led to communist experiments around the world. Maria’s mother Esperanza was a champion for clones’ rights in America and told Matt that El Patron had died, Matt could officially become the leader of Opium. Clones fighting to secure civil rights in the United States are a major political and government step. This book portrays clones as an individual and should be treated accordingly. Matt returns to Opium in the hopes of shutting Opium down and restoring eejits back into human form.
Nancy Farmer wrote The House of the Scorpion, to reiterate her belief that civil right should be extended to all people regardless of origin. This belief is clearly illustrated by Senator Mendoza. He is the fictional senator from the book that advocates for clones and their human rights. Nancy Farmer stressed universal civil rights for all people. She also pointed out the differences between different governments. El Patron was the dictator of Opium’s government. El Patron even had computer-chip-equipped human slaves! The Lost Boys orphanage witnessed the failure of a communist government. The keepers had a corrupt view of fairness. The United States government remains in the background, secure and stable. Even our government is portrayed as supporting clone rights. Nancy Farmer is correct in her assertions. America would be the ideal place to launch a civil rights movement if it were a minority. Even though we may not be fully on board with ethical cloning yet, Americans believe in individualism and freedom. Clones should enjoy the same rights as humans. This book is a must-read. It’s eye-opening, insightful, and makes it possible to see the civil rights implications of such situations. You will be forced to consider how you treat others. It will be hard to put down the book and not hear its message about civil rights. It’s a fascinating book about the human condition. Additionally, it compares various governments by putting them beside each other. This book was a pleasure to read, and I recommend it highly to anyone.
