Jurassic Park

Ian Malcolm is a chaos mathematician hired by Hammond to assess the island for risk before its development begins. Malcolm calculates absolute disaster, though he cannot predict exactly what shape this disaster will take. He sees a group of rash and short-sighted scientists, led by an “egomaniacal idiot” (409), attempting to bring back extinct creatures and control them. Everything about the situation seems foolish and ridiculous to him, but he agrees to come back to the island when Hammond asks because Malcolm is eager to see his theory proven correct. Ironically, Hammond invites Malcolm back to disprove his theory, but in the end, Malcolm’s predictions come true.

Each new iteration in the novel is introduced with a quote from Malcolm related to chaos theory and how he expects the park to fall into disorder: “Inevitably, underlying instabilities begin to appear” (199). From the moment the power goes out, he can see that there is a slippery slope on the horizon which the park is about to go down. With each passing chaotic event, Arnold and Hammond believe they have things under control again, but the situation only worsens until it finally crashes in upon itself and the park is destroyed. Malcolm developed his own theory to add to chaos theory, which he coined the Malcolm Effect. He explains this through the use of a metaphor about water sliding down a finger. One can drop water down the finger a hundred times and never predict which way it will fall; all that can be predicted is that water will slide downward. Chaotic systems, like Jurassic Park or even the weather, are all this way. They move within a path, but how they move within that path cannot be known in advance. Unfortunately, Malcolm himself is destroyed by this chaos when he is tossed by the adult T-rex and later dies of septic shock.

Malcolm involves himself in several quarrels with Hammond during the time they spend inside the lodge waiting out the danger. Hammond detests Malcolm, and each time that Malcolm begins philosophizing about the corrupt state of modern science or the unpredictability of nature, Hammond rebuffs him or acts as if he does not understand his ramblings. Malcolm challenges Hammond time and time again despite his vulnerable state because he knows that Hammond does not actually want Malcolm to die; it would just prove his theory correct. After the deaths of several people, the two-day disappearance of his grandchildren, and the potential for his entire vision to be shut down, Hammond is still in denial about everything. Malcolm warns Hammond, “Your powers are much less than your dreams of reason would have you believe” (392). Only moments later, Hammond arrogantly steps outside, falls down a hill, and is eaten alive. Through his use of chaos mathematics, Malcolm acts as a modern prophet.

John Hammond is the visionary creator of Jurassic Park. He is unusually short with a “childlike quality” (64) that manifests as illogical lack of concern for anyone’s safety. He has a peculiar personality, acting overly friendly at times but also quick to anger. He also admits to some dark truths that reveal he has little empathy or respect for others. Hammond earned the money necessary to build Jurassic Park by lying to potential investors and enticing them to buy into his vision. He crossbred a miniature elephant but claimed to have cloned it. The way that Hammond treats the elephant, as well as the way the elephant behaves and the problems it endures, are a microcosm of the problems that Jurassic Park and its dinosaurs face later on.

Hammond has delusions of grandeur which lead to his destruction and the deaths of many others. A “born showman” (64), he is warned by Malcolm many times about the terrible outcomes that await his park, but he consistently plays dumb and acts as if nothing is wrong. Hammond is out of touch with reality, and this becomes fully clear when it comes to his death. Hammond sits at the bottom of a hill with a broken ankle, exposed and unprotected. He is old and has almost no knowledge of dinosaur behavior. He tells himself he will “live to a hundred” (439) as he sits there, and moments later, he is devoured alive. Hammond also downplays the park’s problems, regularly assuring others that everything is under control. Even when his grandchildren go missing, he calls the whole event a “regrettable, unfortunate accident” (254) and assures Gennaro that Tim and Lex will be back in no time. Hammond has no regard for his grandchildren to begin with, and when Gennaro finds out that Hammond invited them and gets very upset, Hammond simply replies, “This is a safe place… No matter what that damn mathematician is saying” (102).

Tim Murphy is 11 years old. He is Lex Murphy’s brother and the grandson of John Hammond. Hammond invites his grandchildren to the park before its opening to prove to them that the park is perfectly safe for children. He does not show much concern for his grandchildren, only demanding they be brought back safely to restore his park’s reputation. Tim, like Dr. Grant, is a dinosaur enthusiast. He is told by his father and sister that dinosaurs are “really stupid” (105) and for little kids, but Tim maintains his interest. He cares deeply about his younger sister, despite the way she teases him, and spends much of his time watching out for her.

Tim is thrilled to meet Dr. Grant, has read his books, and attaches himself to the paleontologist right away. Dr. Grant asks Tim if he has “dinosaurs on the brain” (105), and the two become fast friends. After the T-rex attack, Tim ends up getting to spend two days with Dr. Grant, during which he learns a great deal from him about dinosaurs and develops a father-son bond. Tim has a fear of heights and does not like the sight of blood and gore; these are two fears he must overcome on the island. Like his sister, Tim shows exemplary courage in the face of terrifying creatures and near certain death. He also learns the park’s computer system quickly, helping to restore its security systems and save lives.

Tim comes close to death on many occasions, and each time he becomes wiser and braver. Thanks to his passion for dinosaurs, Tim uses his knowledge to solve problems quickly and thoughtfully. Tim and his sister are left alone in the Land Cruiser when Regis bolts in a panic to escape the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Tim endures being crushed, thrown, licked, and clawed at, and manages to escape with only a broken nose. After the ordeal is over, his principal concern is his sister. When he and his sister are trapped in the kitchen with the raptor, Tim formulates a plan to lure it with meat and trap it in the freezer.

Eight-year-old Lex Murphy is Hammond’s grandchild and Tim’s sister. She is invited to the park by her grandfather not because he wants to see her, but because he wants to prove that the park is made for children. She is naïve to the fact that he is willing to put her in danger. Although Lex is afraid of the dinosaurs at first, her morbid curiosity for gore and violence allows her to break through that fear quickly. She becomes extremely brave, rescuing herself and her brother from certain death multiple times. Lex experiences personal growth in her development of courage and her transition from hating dinosaurs to appreciating their beauty.

When Lex and her brother first arrive at the park, Lex is cynical and grumpy, referring to the experience as “pretty boring” (153). She carries a baseball glove and ball and regularly asks people if they want to play pickle. Lex is still very young, and throughout the two days she often complains of being tired or hungry. Initially, Lex finds the dinosaurs distasteful and scary. However, after spending a day in the wilds of the park with Grant and her brother, she begins to appreciate them, even finding herself petting and naming them. Lex’s first real brush with danger comes when she and her brother are nearly killed by the massive Tyrannosaurus Rex. She survives the ordeal virtually unharmed, but she is emotionally traumatized, telling Tim, “There’s aminals out there” (235), using a childish mispronunciation she has not said for years. The experience prepares her for what she is yet to endure. Lex ends up in the care of Dr. Grant when the group is split up on the first night. She develops a quick and close bond with him, often having him carry her around and treating him like he is her father. Lex’s own parents are going through a divorce, and she does not get much attention from her dad; for this reason, she attaches herself to Dr. Grant. Dr. Grant allows this and becomes very fond of Lex and her brother in the time they spend together. Lex also has some moments of notable courage, including when she helps Tim lock the raptor inside the freezer and when she tries to pull him out of the T-rex’s tonguey grasp.

Robert Muldoon is the park’s game warden. Originally from Kenya, Muldoon is a hard-nosed man who possesses the most courage of anyone on the island. He is accustomed to dealing with large and untamed animals such as rhinos and lions, and this is exactly why Hammond hires him. Muldoon applies his knowledge of animals in Kenya to the dinosaurs, observing that raptors are “at least as intelligent as chimpanzees” (164). He reasons that if chimpanzees can learn to escape places by opening doors, raptors likely can too. Muldoon’s major flaw is that he has an alcohol addiction. He is seen getting progressively more intoxicated as the events of the novel unfold, but despite this issue, he manages to save many lives.

When the system falls into chaos in Jurassic Park, Muldoon rises to the challenge. He is also particularly insistent on getting Gennaro to help, believing him to be largely responsible for the mess they are all in. When they arrive at the T-rex enclosure, they find Ed’s leg and Malcolm lying in the mud, barely alive. Muldoon rescues Malcolm by taking him back to the lodge. On the final day, Muldoon blasts the T-rex with an anesthetic rocket and unwittingly saves Tim’s life. Later on, he helps Sattler distract the raptors and get the park power back on. Muldoon is intent on solving problems for the entire two days.

Dr. Henry Wu is the park geneticist and molecular biologist. He is responsible for the creation of the dinosaurs through DNA harvesting. Prior to his work, nobody considered cloning dinosaurs because the amount of DNA found in bones is negligible and never offers a complete picture. Wu discovers an alternative method utilizing the blood inside prehistoric mosquitoes that bit dinosaurs. Blood contains enough DNA to access the basic blueprint of a specific dinosaur species, but the samples are so rare that he still never obtains a complete strand. As a result, Wu must use trial and error to genetically engineer the dinosaurs. His guesswork results in the dinosaurs becoming diseased and exhibiting exceedingly violent behavior. At one point early on, Wu tries to convince Hammond to let him scrap the current dinosaurs and breed more docile ones, but Hammond insists that people will want to see the real thing. Wu refers to the dinosaurs as Versions and does not empathize with them when they die. Instead, he sees their deaths as a way to learn and improve for the next Version.

Wu is a corrupt scientist—the exact variety that Crichton warns about in his novel’s exposition. Wu was hired directly out of graduate school by Hammond to do the impossible and create living dinosaurs. He did not consider the moral or environmental implications of such a project; instead, he agreed without hesitation, concerned only with the name he would make for himself if he were to succeed. Wu was “dealing with something out of the past, something constructed of ancient materials and following ancient rules. [He] couldn’t be certain why it worked as it did; and it had been repaired and modified many times already, by forces of evolution, over eons of time” (374). It is not until moments before his death that Wu realizes the folly of his choices. He engaged in the reckless pursuit of modern science for power and profit, without regard for what it might mean for the world he inhabits.

Dr. Ellie Sattler is a paleobotanist and Dr. Grant’s partner on archaeological expeditions. She is a graduate student in her mid-20s and full of vibrancy and zest for life. Sattler maintains a positive attitude and keeps her head above water. She also shows deep concern for Grant and the children when they are stranded out in the park. Sattler meets the challenge that Malcolm’s theory predicts: “Increasingly, the mathematics will demand the courage to face its implications” (409). Sattler does not just wing it, either; she methodically plans out the ways in which she achieves results.

Sattler’s knowledge and courage prove essential to her survival and the survival of the others on the island. From the moment she arrives in Jurassic Park, she detects an underlying danger and sense of foreboding in the park. She notices that Jurassic Park looks “just like a zoo” (59), foreshadowing Hammond’s focus on entertainment rather than humane care for animals. She identifies a prehistoric poisonous plant that is carelessly planted around the visitor swimming pool, and this alerts her to the fact that the park is not so carefully planned out after all. It also foreshadows much more sinister discoveries to come, such as the diseases spreading through the dinosaurs and the park’s inability to keep track of the dinosaur population. Sattler’s knowledge of the past and the way that animals like crocodiles have existed since then allows her to reason out the potential existence of a living dinosaur and makes her open to possibilities that others may find ridiculous. Sattler helps save herself and many others by distracting the raptors at the lodge, risking her life and coming within inches of a gruesome death.

John Arnold is the park’s chief engineer. He is a chain smoker who insists on remaining cool under any amount of pressure. When those around him panic, he stubbornly remains calm, to the point of irritating Hammond. Arnold worked for the military building missiles, and later for Disney creating amusement attractions for their theme parks. As a result, Jurassic Park resembles a theme park, with slow-moving one-way track rides and cheesy entertainment ploys. Arnold primarily focuses on controlling the park’s operations and ensuring that everything is running smoothly—from security, to animal counts, to power management. It is a lot for one man to handle, and as a result, he makes some significant errors when it is crucial that he not do so.

Arnold has another serious flaw which contributes greatly to the downfall of Jurassic Park. Like Hammond, Arnold believes that Malcolm’s predictions of chaos theory are wrong, disregarding them from the beginning. Arnold illustrates his views on Malcolm’s theory when speaking to Gennaro as the park as at the climax of its chaos: “That’s a feature of mechanical systems. A little wobble can get worse until the whole system collapses. But those same little wobbles are essential to a living system. They mean the system is healthy and responsive” (277). Arnold believes that nature actually thrives on chaos and sees the events occurring in the park as part of the natural cycle that it must undergo in order to improve.

Donald Gennaro is a lawyer working on behalf of InGen and its investors. His law firm also holds stake in Hammond’s company and seeks to benefit financially off his project. Gennaro is a “stocky muscular man in his mid-thirties wearing an Armani suit and wire-framed glasses” (69). His appearance is deceptive, as he turns out to be a coward who evades responsibility. When Gennaro arrives on the island, he is keen to get right to the point and remind Hammond that he is there to assess the viability of the park and whether to alert his investors to pull out or not. As a result, Hammond does not exactly like Gennaro, but he tries to keep him on his good side as he relies on the money his services secure.

Gennaro is largely responsible for Jurassic Park existing because he helped Hammond gain the investors needed to make it a reality. Gennaro also knew Hammond before he created the park and watched the way he deceived investors using a miniature elephant. Thus, Gennaro is fully aware of Hammond’s dishonesty and his delusions of grandeur, yet he initially disregards these issues. It is not until workmen start dying on the island that Gennaro finally begins having concerns and truly waking up to the reality before him. Gennaro’s evasion of responsibility is eventually called out by Grant when he tells Gennaro, “You made these animals…. Your money did. Your efforts did. You helped create them” (425). In that moment, Gennaro finally accepts this and joins the others in investigating the raptor nest.

Dennis Nedry is first introduced as a mysterious and disgruntled employee whose name is not revealed. He meets up with a man named Dodgson, who runs a rival company of InGen’s called Biosyn, to arrange to steal and sell dinosaur embryos for $1.5 million. Nedry is a lazy and inconsiderate person who does not get along with anyone else in the park. He is hired by Hammond to be the park’s programmer, and it is obvious that he is talented hacker and programmer, using his skills to shut down the park’s operations. Nedry is soon revealed to be the story’s antagonist, as his decisions cost many lives, including his own. It also accelerates what was likely the inevitable closure of Jurassic Park.

Nedry is an example of the corrupt and selfish nature of modern scientists, and his death suggests that immoral pursuits lead a person to their own demise.

Dr. Gerry Harding is the vet for the dinosaurs at Jurassic Park. “Before coming to the park, Harding had been the chief of veterinary medicine at the San Diego Zoo, and the world’s leading expert on avian care” (275), making him a suitable candidate for his current position. Like other scientists, Harding is struck by the idea of becoming famous for being the first person to treat “a whole new class of animals” (276) and does not hesitate to pass up the chance, nor does he regret it. Harding is a neutral character throughout and seems to have no underlying motives or obvious flaws other than his apparent slowness in understanding when he is in a time of crisis. He is an easygoing and friendly person.