The primary antagonist of Saunders’s novel, K. J. Boone, is characterized as an oil tycoon who worked his way out of poverty, moved up the career ladder, and amassed tremendous social and economic power as a titan of industry. The specificity of Boone’s character reflects Saunders’s criticisms of the American Dream and, more pointedly, the moral issues surrounding the industry Boone represents, crude oil (petroleum) production and distribution.

In 2023, the United States became the largest producer of crude oil in human history, producing 13.2 million barrels per day (Egan, Matt. “The United States Is Producing More Oil Than Any Country in History.” CNN, 19 Dec. 2023). While there are thousands of companies that participate in the oil industry, much of the business is dominated by a segment of companies referred to as “Big Oil” or the “supermajor” oil companies: ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Total, and Chevron. Big Oil brings the United States economy tens of billions of dollars in revenue per year, especially as its operations include international distribution. As noted by the S&P 500, a financial index that tracks the largest publicly-traded companies in America, “Global demand for crude oil is set to hit a record in 2024 – but it will ‘easily be met’ by the growth in supply, according to S&P’s projections” (Egan). As a result, Big Oil is one of the country’s biggest economic drivers, giving it a strong influence over domestic and foreign government policy.

At the same time, Big Oil is often criticized for its destructive impact on the global environment, exacerbating climate change and the effects of global warming. Several processes linked to the production of petroleum generate large amounts of non-biodegradable and hazardous waste, along with other toxic byproducts that cause pollution. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, “When we burn oil, coal, and gas, we produce large quantities of carbon dioxide. These carbon emissions trap heat in the atmosphere and lead to climate change. In the United States, the burning of fossil fuels, particularly for the power and transportation sectors, accounts for about three-quarters of our carbon emissions,” (Denchak, Melissa. “Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts.” NRDC, 1 June 2022). The high production of petroleum encourages high consumption rates, which leads to fossil fuel combustion and the steady increase of carbon emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere. 

Big Oil has historically made attempts to absolve itself of its environmental impact in various ways. In some cases, companies tried to shift the blame away from themselves and place it on consumers. BP introduced and popularized the term “carbon footprint” in 2004 to convince consumers that individual oil usage, rather than excessive corporate waste output, was to blame for global warming (Solnit, Rebecca. “Big Oil Coined ‘Carbon Footprints’ to Blame Us for Their Greed. Keep Them on the Hook.” The Guardian, 23 Aug. 2021). In 2017, it was revealed that ExxonMobil launched a public relations campaign to discredit hundreds of scientific studies linking global warming to industrial impact and human consumption, fearing that it would limit their business processes and growth. Internal documents linked to the company indicated an awareness of the risks posed by fossil fuel combustion as far back as 1979. 

Saunders directly alludes to these scandals in his novel, with Boone admitting that he suppressed scientific studies by delivering a 1977 address to galvanize the oil industry. Similarly, Boone frequently tries to distance himself from the other characters’ indictments of his impact on the world. In one instance in the novel, he even distances himself from the corporation, arguing that he wasn’t responsible for failing to apply external environmental research to his company’s policies and practices. Boone’s lens reflects Saunders’ critique that Big Oil and the American Dream, which Boone represents, prioritize individualist goals over the common good.