Dystopian Leftovers

After reading Station Eleven, we get some insight on what an apocalyptic world would look like in the eyes of Emily St. John Mandel, and it is not a friendly one. It's easy to decide that this world is completely fictional, but it is interesting to see the story contrast the old world we know right now versus the new world of dystopia and turmoil. I thought it would be interesting to, instead of look at the differences between the modern world and the apocalyptic world, see what is similar between them and find if some things don't change after an apocalypse. It's unreasonable to assume that when the world goes downhill everything will be different, because there are some things that do push through. Using Station Eleven, we can look at some of the things that did.

“'Station Eleven', Shelley Chapman.” ArtStation, www.artstation.com/artwork/zkVl6.

"Survival is insufficient" is the line that runs the world of Station Eleven, a quote that justifies the Travelling Symphony's theatrics in a world where it seems like nobody cares enough to pay attention to things other than, well, survival. Entertainment stayed relevant throughout the collapse, and though the group is small and very survival-oriented, they still try their best to bring that little bit of joy that comes from watching something entertaining. There are places like the Museum of Civilization that exist in the new world, a place where artifacts of the old world that many were once comfortable with are put on display. This is what museums are though, a place where previous people's artifacts and history are viewed by others, but it is weird to think that what we use today, like cell phones and the internet, are just stories and legends to people in the book. The story mentions many communities and towns that exist in the new world, showing that people will always rely on each other and stick together to live through times that may seem completely hopeless. Although we do see cults and outlaws around doing what they do, those are things that existed before the collapse, and shows that somethings do not change, especially after something happens that can open up opportunities for disorder. In such an extreme case as an apocalypse, it's hard to say that many things remain the same from before it, but in Station Eleven we can at least see that yes, there are things that happen to remain the same. It's interesting to look at what did pull through the mess and why it did, but an apocalypse is no small ordeal, but through it all we can see more and more change. Change can be good or bad, but at the end of the day it's up to the people who remain to make an impact. To read more about what makes Station Eleven great, click the link.