Theme Of Survival In Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon

“Object, may be missile, fired from Soviet base, Anadyr Peninsular… DEW Line high sensitivity radar now has four objects on its screens. Speed and trajectory indicates they are ballistic missiles” (Frank 89). Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon, which is based on a fictional nuclear attack against the United States by the Soviet Union, is a post-apocalyptic novel set in the early 1960’s in America during the Cold War that aims to warn people of the alarming possibility of nuclear war with the Soviets. Fort Repose, a small town in central Florida, faces the aftermath of this attack. Randy Bragg, a young man in Fort Repose, must rise up to save his town from their crisis and help rebuild it. This novel tells the story of how the community of Fort Repose puts aside their normal social boundaries and prejudice to come together to achieve a common goal: survival. Pat Frank uses difficult settings, challenging conflicts, and indirect characterization to convey his theme that during a catastrophe, a community must work together to survive. First of all, the formidable settings help convey the theme by showing that the characters are working together. For example, during the August heat, the fish stop biting because they swim to the bottom of the river bed to keep cool. Peyton solves this problem with the help of Preacher Henry, who provides her with some helpful information that she needs to catch the bass. Frank writes, “‘How would I get them? Nobody’s been able to net any bass bait - no shiners.’ ‘That’s the trouble,’ Preacher said. ‘The little fish he gets hot too and so he’s out there in the middle deep…’ Peyton

During a time of crisis, one is solely focused on survival. Cooperation is essential for survival because, no matter what, people are stronger