The Children of Men

Content Warning: The following Symbols and Motifs section contains references to suicide, which is discussed in the source text.

The Omegas are the last-born generation. They are afforded a higher status than older people: “Men and women, the Omegas are a race apart, indulged, propitiated, feared, regarded with a half-superstitious awe” (12). Because of this treatment, many of the Omegas grow up to be “cruel, arrogant, and violent” (11). They symbolize the value that society places on youth, and also the dangers of idealizing and cosseting children—the novel argues that protecting the young from all adverse events will prevent them from developing empathy for others. Some of the Omegas join the gangs of “Painted Faces” (11), who are responsible for brutal violence like Luke’s vicious murder—a denial of their essential humanity and a regression into animalistic, bestial behavior.

The Quietus is the ceremony of mass suicides offered by the government to those who no longer wish to live. It symbolizes the utter loss of hope and the triumph of despair in those who see no point in continuing their lives. The Quietus is ostensibly—at least in terms of public relations—a humane act for those who find their suffering intolerable. However, as its name implies, the ceremony is never as clean as Xan’s government claims.