John Mandel's Station 11 Analysis

If the modern world were to end tomorrow, what steps would be taken to return the elements of civilization? Before solving this conundrum, it is important to understand what a civilization is. The Meriam-Webster online dictionary defines a civilization as “the condition that exists when people have developed effective ways of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.” While this may be true, this definition is far too vague. Civilizations include many key characteristics, like their own languages, governments, entertainment sources, ways of gathering and keeping food, shelters, and so on. In Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, Earth is stricken with a deadly flu virus that wipes out the majority of the population, changing

This helps the reader to even more clearly see the theme, as some characters think about their desires for the world and how they wish it to be. Several characters in the novel, including Kirsten and August, two young members of the Traveling Symphony, are intrigued by old artifacts that help them understand the past. For instance, Kirsten does not remember much of the old world. She barely remembers her parents, and really only remembers she once knew an actor named Arthur Leander, who died onstage of a play she was performing in. Throughout the story, Kirsten collects any articles she can that have anything to do with him, trying to piece together her broken memory. Her friend, August, finds comfort in searching old houses for television guide books, because he remembers watching a lot of television before the collapse. Because they were so young when the world ‘ended’, most of their pre-pandemic memories were lost, due to either the lapse of time or perhaps a little bit of PTSD. These two characters illustrate how badly people who can’t even remember most of the old world craved going back to it. Kirsten and August are accustomed to their lifestyle in the Traveling Symphony, but fantasize about what life would have been like if the pandemic had never hit. For instance, when leaving an abandoned house that the pair raided together, Kirsten is struck by the thought of locking the door when she leaves. She tries to imagine how it would feel to live in a house with electricity with a family, which you would lock when you leave. Her thoughts help to support the message that humanity desires returning to civilization. Kirsten desperately wants the world to go back to the way it once was, and to experience what her old life would have been like. On the other hand, not unlike many other people who have suffered through traumatic times, many of the survivors old