As evident in the P.D. James novel Children of Men and Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, though there can be multiple symptoms that trigger an apocalypse, the direct cause of such an event is usually readily apparent: in Children of Men the cause of the apocalypse is worldwide infertility, and in Oryx in Crake it is a massive plague that wipes out almost the entire human species. Symptomatic and causal difference is denoted by factors that subtly, or indirectly, contribute to an apocalypse and those that have a direct and immediate, universal effect. An apocalypse is, above all, a change in mindset as everything ever known or thought to be True collapses and ceases to exist. The symptoms of an apocalypse can either contribute to or sustain the devastation, while the cause of an apocalypse is the conspicuous event that led to worldwide change.
In Children of Men, the symptoms of apocalypse are contributing factors such as social evils, and also aftereffects such as apathy, hopelessness, and despair. These symptoms alone do not cause or sustain the apocalypse, it takes something much greater in scope that broadly influences every corner of civilization--worldwide infertility. We see many of the contributing/sustaining factors of the apocalypse in Children of Men in our contemporary society, but they do not lead to the epic repercussions seen in the novel simply because there is no universal, life-changing cause of an apocalypse to accompany such emotions. Symptoms that sustain the apocalypse include a change in religious theology, governmental regulation of bodies, apathetic perspectives, and hopelessness in the face of extinction: "they live without hope on a dying planet" (58).
In Oryx and Crake, the cause of the apocalypse is also evident: the plague/disease that quickly infects and kills most of the human species. The symptoms of the apocalypse are once again the follies of humanity: the pride of Crake, the apathy of the world, desensitized society, and a breakdown in meaning regarding language. Each of these symptoms contributes and sustains the cause of the apocalypse, but alone they are not enough to produce universal devastation.
The symptoms and causes of apocalypse should be thought of in much the same way a fatal disease is viewed: there are warning signs and also symptoms that manifest before/after the disease (such as cancer) has taken hold that signal its presence or warn of its impending appearance. The cause of apocalypse should be thought of like the disease, as the absolute presence and foundation of transformation, that which will turn the world upside down and eventually lead to death, or at least a death of the previous way of life--in the case of the two novels, the plague and infertility that heralds the death of the human species.
I'm seeing something of a conflation of cause and effect, to the point where I can't tell which is which. For example, in the case of "Oryx and Crake," the plague/disease might be seen as the cause of the apocalypse, but it could also just be seen as the apocalyptic act itself, and the pride and apathy and desensitization could be seen as the cause of the events and behaviors that lead to the apocalyptic collapse. An interesting house of cards here, I think. Or maybe an oroborus.
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