| Xen: Ancient English Edition by D. J. Solomon |
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Most would characterize Pawkey Seneschal from D.J. Solomon’s Xen: Ancient English
Edition, as a xenophobic, racist, misogynistic misanthrope. No one can blame them for
this initial assessment. We first encounter Seneschal in a subway on his way to a
conference, listening as he observes his peers, and expressing his hatred for African
Americans, Caucasians, Mexican Americans, foreigners in general, priests,
propagandists, women (his wife in particular) and arguably almost anyone else he comes
across. Seneschal makes this clear to the reader, in the most vulgar and blatantly
discriminatory language available to him at any given time. It is undeniable that Pawkey
Seneschal hated the very mankind that he was a part of. However, he is also the same
scientist who unleashed holocaust upon humanity, killing billions, and giving birth to an
entirely new age in the history of man. He saw every fault and flaw in the society in
which he lived, and using this he was responsible for the genetic re-engineering of
mankind. This begs the question: did Pawkey Seneschal hate mankind enough to
destroy it? Or did he love it enough to save it from eventually destroying itself?
In releasing his fatal virus upon mankind, Seneschal killed over half of the population of
the planet in as little as a few hours. Without doubt, his actions can be classified as the
largest case of genocide ever seen on earth. Seneschal described the disease’s
mechanism as, “the virus will incorporate itself into all cells of the body; the scumbags will
be identified and destroyed” (178). He admits that it is he who decides who lives and
who dies, concluding, “. . .the primary targets being obviously the scumbags, at least by
your definition” (179). Three billion people were immediately annihilated all over the
planet. An act of mass murder such as this would seem to suggest intense hatred for
humanity itself. However, several of Seneschal’s actions contradict this statement: he
was conscious of the fact that he, as a scumbag, would be killed along with a large
portion of the earth’s population upon the unleashing of the virus. His self-sacrifice
suggests he was at once a martyr and a murderer. Unlike some martyrs, Seneschal did
not seek recognition in exchange for his life along with the billions of others. In fact, he
sought the exact opposite:
“Soon you will unleash what will be remembered early on as Armageddon. The virus will
be ferried about by Wind and Water; you will sleep after that and not awaken further.
There will be no records or other tangible proof of your work. In the coming days, prior to
activation of the virus, all property on the island, save the marble tablet, will self destruct,
collapsing into piles of rubbish that will effortlessly blow to the Four Corners”
(178).
He worked to ensure that mankind would never know its new origins. He did not seek
fame or immortality in the guise of the new father of humanity. His actions were not
motivated by the greed or selfishness that he saw in society. Instead, he eliminated
these vices entirely, motivated by his vision of a future humankind without depravity,
violence or hatred.
In altering the very genetic structure of mankind, Seneschal freed his species from
abuse, immorality and violence. He put an abrupt end to the endless page of abuse
detailed by Wind since the dawn of time. Seneschal created a world where it was
impossible for one human being to harm another living creature. The adolescent
Muliebris narrates:
“Moreover, no one can ever harm anyone else, consciously or unconsciously; this is
hardwired into the brain multiple redundant pathways. To destroy these pathways would
end the life of the person... You simply cannot imagine what would have gone through
someone’s mind as they brutalized, maimed, murdered or tortured another human being,
as you’ve read was the fashion in the pre-Plague era “ (155).
Muliebris is a product of this newborn aggressionless society, and comments on the
ludicrousness of the idea of actually harming another human. This destructive aspect of
humanity, the possibility of which has been eliminated now from the whole species, has
been a key aspect in the face of mankind throughout its development. Xenophobia has
prompted men to commit unspeakable atrocities upon one another since the beginnings
of mankind, destroying over and over entire civilizations of its own kind. Wind had good
reason to bet with Water that mankind would destroy itself in the end, if mankind’s past is
any indication. If Seneschal had not intervened, it is very probable that humans would
have wiped themselves out sooner or later, especially once they had acquired nuclear
weapons capable of wiping out entire continents in mere minutes. Considering this,
Pawkey Seneschal had in fact saved mankind from destroying itself when he unleashed
his selective virus. If Seneschal had truly hated humanity, he would have let mankind
burn itself out. But he did not. Instead, he dedicated the rest of his life to research,
saving the parts he considered to be good in humanity.
Even if Seneschal was indeed saving humans from their own nature, violence was not
the only element Seneschal eliminated when he altered humankind. In removing the
capacity for aggression among humans, he also purged the species of emotions such as
passion, desire, anger, and jealousy. These are emotions that have shaped the face of
humanity since its inception. To take them away is to discard man’s very identity. In
getting rid of anger and desire, Seneschal also shed man’s ability to be driven, to be
motivated to something beyond the present moment. Whatever else man had been, as
gruesome and as repugnant as it may have become, man was the ultimate innovator.
Mankind evolved to slowly conquer the entire planet by always striving for something
bigger and better. In Eartherian society, having already achieved harmony, there is no
need to want to be better. Muliebris elucidates on her culture:
“Those with illustrious careers, who make many breakthroughs and create many original
ideas are no more celebrated or revered than anyone else in the world. Nor are the
great organizers or the artists; their notoriety gives them no special privileges. What
could they want or need that they don’t already have and which is not available to the
rest of society?” (138).
In curing humanity of its corruption, Seneschal also destroyed the most truly human
sentiments of all: ambition and initiative. He sacrificed the impassioned fire in man’s soul
for the eradication of murder, rape, assault, and all other violent or non-violent crime.
He exchanged selfishness and hatred for passive and peaceful humans in a perfect
society. Pawkey Seneschal may have saved humanity, but he also destroyed what it truly
was.
Did the scientist Pawkey Seneschal then hate humanity, in its essence? It is true he
rejected the existing humanity in favour of his vision of a more perfect reality. Still, his
vision was inspired by the glimpses of greatness he saw within the humanity he lived in.
Although he may not have realized the full ramifications of his genetic alterations, one
cannot conclude that Pawkey Seneschal meant to destroy humanity. He tried to save
the best of what he saw, but in doing so in the end he extinguished the soul of
humankind and constructed something entirely new. Perhaps the real answer to the
question is that Pawkey Seneschal did not love or hate humanity in its entirety: he simply
could not accept it as whole, unable to integrate the good and the bad. Ironically, it is
this very black-and-white thinking that has allowed xenophobia to thrive throughout the
history of mankind. In the end, Pawkey Seneschal was indeed a product of the humanity
he destroyed: he was misogynistic, racist, accepting of violence and habituated to a
world without regard for the sanctity of life…but he was also a product of a humanity that
fostered a desire to be better, to do more...and that is the most human attribute of all.
Lindsay Logie Pawkey Seneschal: Misanthropic Murderer or Saviour of Mankind? Millwood High School Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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