Apocalyptic scenarios in both literature and film tend to focus first on the foundational upheavals of society: the social and political structures. Only after illustrating the universal catastrophes, the tangible disorder, can the narrative then focus on the psychological ramifications that in turn become an apocalypse themselves. In Children of Men, P.D. James has constructed an apocalyptic world where humankind is no longer able to procreate, and no amount of scientific intervention or testing has found conclusive evidence for a cause of the unexplained infertility. The myriad array of apocalyptic experiences and events in Children of Men all lead to the same question: what happens in a world when there are no longer children to continue the race of humankind?
As the title of this blog "The Mausoleum of Hope" suggests, apocalyptic experiences are inevitably accompanied by a profound loss of hope or faith in the future. But like the work the postscript is derived from, Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, a prevalent theme in apocalyptic literature, especially Children of Men, is Time. The main character of James's novel, Theo Faron, is an Oxford historian, a member of arguably one of the most notable and distinguished educational institutions in the world. He has spent his life lecturing and studying, immersed in learning from the past in order to ensure a better future. But with the advent of Omega comes a startling revelation, not only to Theo but the entire world: to record for posterity, to study and produce scholarship pertaining to history, is now nothing but ceremony, a disingenuous reflection of action from past centuries now that there is no one who will need the information disseminated after such research. Theo laments that "[h]istory, which interprets the past to understand the present and confront the future, is the least rewarding discipline for a dying species" (11), particularly when that species has no future. Time, once so assured, now moves inexorably to the end for humankind; their time has run out.
The apocalyptic revelation that accompanies the political and social upheaval in Children of Men is the dramatic loss of hope. After over two decades of testing and anxious wait, it has become evident that humankind has reached its limitations in terms of scientific and medical intervention. A faith once placed in the gods of medicine is broken by the inability to find a cause or cure, and hope for a future is then universally lost. Though Theo consistently references the evangelical pastor Rosie and her call for Love as the everlasting principle of humanity, it is apparent that the apathy, willingness to remain ignorant to the plight of others, and the mass suicides of the Quietus specifically stem from the loss of that one, simple emotion: hope. Always underscoring the absence of faith and hope for the future is Time, which every second leads towards extinction. According to Theo in his diary, society "can experience nothing but the present moment, live in no other second of time, and to understand this is as close as we can get to eternal life" (9). The apocalypse of Children of Men is more than just the tangible changes in society and politics; it is also psychological in nature.
