America. The land of the free. The foundations of this country were built on individuality, self-reliance, and the ability to “stand on your own two feet” and start again. Today, however, this individualistic spirit manifests itself in selfishness and self-centeredness among many North Americans. Max Brooks' World War Z aims to combat the loss of individuality; When the American characters fight the zombies, they are also indirectly fighting the stupid consumers that they themselves have become. In order to combat both the real zombies and the "zombies within", American citizens must abandon their materialistic lifestyle, acclimatize to the global overthrow of the social order, adapt to their new world, and accept that their life will never be the same. It's the same. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Many North Americans today can be defined as mindless consumers. Every obscure self-definition falls into a category that can be easily marketed. Whether you're a punk, a nerd or a princess, this label can be bought and sold. Our identity is defined by purchases: whether we own a Macintosh computer or a PC, a Blackberry or an iPhone. In this culture, opportunities for distinction are rare. It is not difficult to see the resemblance between this definition and a zombie. The lives of many Americans can be likened to those of Mary Jo Miller before the war (63-66). Married with two children and living in the suburbs, her main concerns were car payments, celebrity gossip, retirement portfolios, and the general stress of family life (64). This type of materialistic existence is an example of how American-supported individuality can turn into self-centeredness. That is, until America collapsed with the Zombie War. The civilians quickly learn that they must work together to survive. This means that across America, people must abandon their “comfortable, disposable consumer lifestyle” (140) and learn new trades, grow their own food, and make their own supplies. “No one needs a revised contract or a negotiated agreement [anymore]. What he needs is a repaired toilet...For some, it was scarier than the living dead” (140). Once this new way of life was accepted, many civilians discovered that they were more content than they had been before, and perhaps how superficial their way of life was (141). “You see these shoes, I made them”, “This sweater is the wool of my sheep”, “Like corn? My garden. This was the result of a more localized system. It gave people the opportunity to see the fruits of their labor, it gave them a sense of individual pride in knowing that they were making a clear and concrete contribution to victory (141). Brooks is making a statement about Western culture: perhaps we all need to reduce our consumption and give something back to our countries. As zombies begin to control most of the planet, social order is reversed throughout the world. American refugees try to get to Cuba on whatever makeshift rafts they can find (229). While living in Cuba, refugees “did the jobs that Cubans no longer wanted: day laborers, dishwashers, and street cleaners” (231). Eventually, Cuba becomes a “flourishing capitalist economy” (232). Post-war Tibet was not only liberated, but became the mostpopulated by the world and celebrates free elections (12). While many other countries' situations are reversed, Brooks suggests that zombies may be producing a kind of geopolitical justice. One UN delegate went so far as to suggest that "by keeping 'white hegemony' distracted from its own problems, the undead invasion could allow the rest of the world to develop 'without imperialist intervention'." » (266). A similar class inversion is happening in America, on a smaller scale, when it comes to the job market. In the old world, the best paid jobs were casting directors, stock traders, and advertising agencies (140-1). However, during the war, the services most needed were manual labor, including plumbing, farming, clothing making, and tool making (141). This situation leads to a reversal of the social order. Former corporate billionaires are now tutored by their ex-maids, mechanics, and plumbers, something many have struggled to adapt to (140-1). A similar reversal occurs at the reality TV compound portrayed by bodyguard T. Sean Collins. Celebrities who broadcast their experiences in their war shelters are no longer revered and respected but trampled and beaten by others, desperate for the protection of their bunkers (86-8). Zombies can cause more than just devastation. They can also cause a leveling, or even a reversal, of our accepted class structure. The main reason humans won World War II was their ability to adapt to a new life, no matter how reluctant they were to accept it. As mentioned above, supplies and foods must be manufactured within a country's borders, forcing many North Americans to reshape their consumer lives; however, the need for adaptation goes beyond this. For example, the suburbs occupied by Mary Jo Miller and others like her are much different after the war than before it began. Brooks describes a fortress; the neighborhood is surrounded by a “reinforced concrete wall” and each house is built on stilts with a “retractable staircase” and “solar cell roofs” (64). This is the new suburb, where safety is the main goal, not luxury or comfort. Similar changes are evident in the military. Look at the Battle of Yonkers, one of the first battles of the war (92). The infantrymen are dressed in hot, heavy suits of radioactive protection which only hindered their battles. The military relies heavily on technology, such as bombs, machine guns, aerial missiles, tanks, and radars, all of which are useless against the undead (94-5). Much of this appears to be a spectacle for the press. "...There must have been at least one journalist for every two or three uniforms...I don't know how many new helicopters had to be circling around...you'd think with that many people they would spare a little to try to save the people of Manhattan” (95). only reason: it finds itself facing a new enemy, who is not slowed down by wounds or by fear of death. The army must rethink all its strategies before attempting a new attack. battlefield is evident in the Battle of Hope Elaborate technology is abandoned. The replacements are "lobotomizers", a "double-bladed battle axe" (146), and standard infantry rifles..