Nyxia

Over the course of the novel, the members of Genesis 11 and Genesis 12 must decide whether they will act individually for their own interests, ensuring Babel’s success, or if they will work together to push back against Babel’s plans. Through the competition it stages, Babel promulgates the capitalist idea that individualism leads to excellence; people and groups that pursue their own self-interest, it suggests, naturally rise to the top and are justified in doing so. However, the novel challenges this idea, showing that cooperation can achieve better and fairer results.

The Genesis 11 competitors compete against each other individually and don’t unite against Babel’s system of violence and competition. Kaya and Bilal represent the seeds of rebellion aboard Genesis 11: Kaya invites Emmett to form an alliance, and Bilal hosts the Sabbath sleepovers that begin to break down divisions among the group. However, when Kaya dies in her attempt to uncover Babel’s secrets, Emmett chooses to hide how Kaya died from the rest of the group because he is afraid to ruin his chances at victory by revealing the truth. This shows that Kaya’s bid for cooperation and connection takes a great deal of courage, which Emmett initially lacks. Also, Kaya’s Rabbit Room strategies—which focus on cooperation between team members—briefly bring the group to collective action even after her death, but this unity is short-lived. Kaya’s death demonstrates how isolation and competition are ineffective tools against systemic obstacles; the competitors of Genesis 11 remain isolated from one another, unable and unwilling to push back against Babel. 

In contrast, Morning and the crew of Genesis 12 are foils to Genesis 11’s contestants. They demonstrate the power of cooperation and human connection. When Emmett first sees Genesis 12, he immediately identifies the strengths of Morning’s leadership: “[She] turns and walks the lines of her team, whispering to them, either informing or rallying. It’s obvious that we don’t have anyone like her” (260). The competitors on Genesis 11 don’t consider themselves a team; Emmett thinks, “We never identified that way because the challenge has always been an individual struggle” (260). While the teenagers on Genesis 11 and Genesis 12 have the same training leading up to the challenges on the Tower Space Station, the competitors from Genesis 12 seem much stronger. The reason for this is that Emmett and the others aboard Genesis 11 go along with Babel’s plans to isolate them through competition, while Morning is able to organize her competitors into a team that trusts one another. During their initial race on the Waterway, Emmett realizes, “[Morning is] what Kaya would have been for us if she were still alive” (266). Kaya represents the spirit of cooperation and connection aboard Genesis 11—a spirit that Emmett and the others don’t keep alive after her death. In contrast, Morning as Genesis 12’s spirit of unity is alive and continuing to fight for all her teammates to reach Eden. 

Not only does Morning encourage unity among the members of her team, but she also encourages resistance as a team against Babel Communications. While the members of Genesis 11 find out about the Babel Files separately and only discuss how their newfound fame might benefit each of them individually, Morning reveals to Emmett that “[Genesis 12] read it together” (302). She also says that Genesis 12 wants to work together to find out what else Babel is hiding. Emmett chooses not to share this information with anyone from Genesis 11, as a result of which they remain disorganized and unfocused throughout the rest of the competition. Ultimately, Emmett only secures his spot to Eden when his team works collectively to secure one final win on the Waterway, bringing home the point that cooperation is more effective than isolated action.