We need factories of death; we need factory animals.

            Although Elizabeth Costello is portrayed as a feeble aged woman, she remains strong and passionate by defending animals rights and her philosophy. Similar to Costello, Kafta stands before an academic audience speaking on behalf of his passion. Kafta says, “For the Academy it will not provide anything essentially new and will fall far short of what people have asked of me and what with the best will I cannot speak about- but nonetheless it should demonstrate the line by which someone who was an ape was forced into the world of men and which he continued there” (558). Both Kafta and Costello might feel otherized from the Academy but nevertheless they express their unique beliefs. Costello is aware of the dissent surrounding her beliefs yet it does not seem to influence her. In fact, Costello’s own daughter in-law disagrees saying “I find her philosophizing rather difficult to take” (91). She continues to say, “Respect for everyone’s world view, the cow’s world view, the squirrel’s world view, and so forth. In the end it leads to total intellectual paralysis” (92).

            Along with many other people, Norma questions Costello’s speeches, which attempt to move towards biocentrism. During Costello’s lecture, she alludes to Ted Hughes’ poem called ‘The Jaguar”. Costello explains that the poem brings record of an interaction or engagement with the jaguar saying, “His stride is wildernesses of freedom: The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel” (568).  Furthermore she suggests that this personification diverts from the connection from animals and humans, and looks only in the abstract. Costello continues to explain that this artificial connection assumes animals act through the individual. However, man is the only species that can act and think so individualistically- for the sake of our ecosystem. She also criticizes society for the exploitation and commodification of animals. Costello explains that in order to satisfy our desires “we need factories of death; we need factory animals” (97).  This type of dehumanization is also analogous to the Holocaust. Jewish philosopher Adorno defends such comparison saying, “Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals” (570).