How Characters in Apocalyptic Novel Similar
Dang Le
Mrs. Trosino
American Literature Honor
Period 7
May 10, 2013
Similarity in characters of apocalyptic novels. “What is a rebel? A man who says no.”- said Albert Camus, a French Nobel Prize winning author, journalist and philosopher. Post-apocalyptic fiction novels usually use the dystopia society, in which rules have changed and life get either better or worse. Main characters of post-apocalyptic novel usually reject the society, since authors want to give a message of objection against a current event, in a hypothetical writing. But in order for readers to have a connection with the characters, authors still apply the traits of personality and social impact of human to their characters. Therefore, characters of post-apocalyptic novels commonly share similar traits between each other, despite the time and the society of the novels. The novel Fahrenheit 451 of Ray Bradbury, The Handmaid’s Tale of Margaret Atwood and Anthem of Ayn Rand can clearly show the relation in traits of main characters and the reason for it. Throughout the personal and social conflicts of the main characters to gain freedom, they showed that one need to have a potential anger with the society, the information and motivation to be success.
First of all, the character would have a potential anger with the government, which comes from an unwilling job that others signed them to do. One day, Montag in the novel Fahrenheit wanted to quit the job as a fireman, who burn down houses have books, after seeing a woman burned herself in the house with her books. However, his wife interfered because they would lose the income, and said he chose to do so, and he replied “Do I even have a chance? I become a fireman because my dad was among one of them.” (page 66). Montag started feeling shameful about his job, because he and his teammates had pushed people to death, even though he did not mean to. Unfortunately, he did not have the choice but have to follow the carrier of his father, which
Mrs. Trosino
American Literature Honor
Period 7
May 10, 2013
Similarity in characters of apocalyptic novels. “What is a rebel? A man who says no.”- said Albert Camus, a French Nobel Prize winning author, journalist and philosopher. Post-apocalyptic fiction novels usually use the dystopia society, in which rules have changed and life get either better or worse. Main characters of post-apocalyptic novel usually reject the society, since authors want to give a message of objection against a current event, in a hypothetical writing. But in order for readers to have a connection with the characters, authors still apply the traits of personality and social impact of human to their characters. Therefore, characters of post-apocalyptic novels commonly share similar traits between each other, despite the time and the society of the novels. The novel Fahrenheit 451 of Ray Bradbury, The Handmaid’s Tale of Margaret Atwood and Anthem of Ayn Rand can clearly show the relation in traits of main characters and the reason for it. Throughout the personal and social conflicts of the main characters to gain freedom, they showed that one need to have a potential anger with the society, the information and motivation to be success.
First of all, the character would have a potential anger with the government, which comes from an unwilling job that others signed them to do. One day, Montag in the novel Fahrenheit wanted to quit the job as a fireman, who burn down houses have books, after seeing a woman burned herself in the house with her books. However, his wife interfered because they would lose the income, and said he chose to do so, and he replied “Do I even have a chance? I become a fireman because my dad was among one of them.” (page 66). Montag started feeling shameful about his job, because he and his teammates had pushed people to death, even though he did not mean to. Unfortunately, he did not have the choice but have to follow the carrier of his father, which