Jimmy’s father/ Uncle Pete/ Crake’s mother

These three characters all work within the system of the world they live in.  They are prime examples of the ideals of the time: none question the path society has taken.  They all are involved in the scientific community.  Jimmy’s father and Uncle Pete work in genetic splicing, and Crake’s mother is first married to Crake’s father, who worked with Uncle Pete, then to Uncle Pete himself.  They are all very two dimensional characters:  Jimmy’s father is the typical unhappily married man who falls for his young assistant shortly after his wife leaves; Uncle Pete is the unlikable stepdad who may have had a hand in Crake’s father’s demise; and Crake’s mother merely a shadow in the background, subordinate to her males.  They are notable in that they are not notable: they represent the typical of the society, and Atwood makes them hollow to stress the importance of those who oppose the culture they live in.