Cloud Atlas

Almost every protagonist in the six stories of Cloud Atlas is a writer, artist, or creator of some kind. Ewing writes letters, Frobisher writes music, Luisa is a journalist, Cavendish works in publishing, Sonmi writes a manifesto, and Zachry tells stories. The protagonists share an artistic tendency, which makes their creations important symbols in the novel. Diaries, letters, books, films, recordings, and other creative output symbolize a need to connect with the world. The characters create these items of media because they crave connection with those around them. These connections help inspire people across generations and often provide the link from one story to the next. Ewing’s diaries fascinate Frobisher; Frobisher’s letters captivate Luisa; the story of Luisa’s scoop comforts Cavendish; the film about Cavendish’s life shows Sonmi another world; and Sonmi becomes a godlike figure for Zachry’s people. Each piece of media penetrates through the annals of history and reaches across distant time and space, creating bonds between people who might never otherwise have had any connection. The letters, diaries, books, and other items that are preserved and passed down across the ages create these connections.

Even though the desire to connect is the characters’ motivation to create media, their creations aren’t always properly interpreted. The same distance in time and space that makes these connections so meaningful also makes them prone to misinterpretation. The further removed a person becomes from the original moment of creation or publication, the more liable they are to be misinterpreted. When Sonmi views The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish, for example, she doesn’t regard it as a bawdy comedy about a ridiculous escape from a retirement home. Instead, the film provides a glimpse into a world free of the rampant corporatization that has turned her world into such a dystopia. The lighthearted film about Cavendish’s life becomes a serious revelation about a very different past and a better possible future. Sonmi’s manifesto is then misinterpreted by Zachry and his people. The words she wrote to inspire a revolution become religious extortions to Zachry, who doesn’t understand Sonmi’s world in his postapocalyptic moment in time. The misinterpretation of media represents not only the difficulty in understanding people from different places and times but also the yearning for connection that reveals previously unknown nuances in a work. Cavendish may have intended the film about his life to be lighthearted, but it has a very different, almost escapist meaning for Sonmi. She misinterprets Cavendish’s intention but creates a meaning all her own that is just as valid.

In this respect, the creation of books, diaries, and recordings represents a desire to leave a legacy. The characters are aware of their own mortality, and many die or come close to dying during the novel. The media they create provides them with a chance to leave something behind in the world. Luisa is unique in this respect, as she doesn’t write the piece of media that tells her story. Her legacy is her article, the story of the conspiracy that’s then turned into a novel. Interestingly, her desire to expose this story is wrapped up in the importance of legacy too. As the daughter of a famous journalist, she feels the need to live up to her father’s reputation. She uncovers the conspiracy as a tribute to her father, performing an inspirational act for the next generation to follow. Through actions and media, the protagonists create legacies that extend beyond their own lifetimes. Media is a form of life beyond death, a way to transcend the boundaries of a single lifetime.