With the power to create worlds in ones hands, what is there to stop them from making a personal Nirvana? In Emily St. John Mandel's science fiction novel Station Eleven, Miranda Carroll is noted to be an unflappable administrative assistant at a high end corporate company. However, in her spare time Miranda works on creating new settings and scenarios for her graphic novel also entitled Station Eleven. Creating the artwork and plotline of this story is a way for Miranda to escape from her desk job while still maintaining control of the possible outcomes. Station Eleven can be seen as the life Miranda wishes to live, or a warped reflection of the path she chose to take. From one of the very first mentions of its existence; “... thinking about …show more content…
Tyler is the son of Arthur Leander and his second wife, Elizabeth Colton. Seen by many as a monster of a man, with an army of crazed followers, his frequent and often forceful taking of young wives, and a personal obsession with Miranda Carroll’s Station Eleven, Tyler thrives off of his power as “The Prophet”. Brought up on his mother's faith in the Christian Bible Tyler was taught to believe that everything happened for a reason. Elizabeth seemed to be in a downward spiral, a hares breath away from being an alcoholic, her acting career beginning to crumble, and now stuck in the Severn City Airport alongside her young son, with no hopes of boarding the flight to Jerusalem she had planned, Elizabeth seems to cling to the word of God as a defense mechanism, her survival of the pandemic solidifying her belief that she is a ‘chosen one’, and those who die are weak. These somewhat entitled views on life are ingrained into the young Tyler’s mind as well. Alongside the deranged thoughts whispered from his Book-of-Revelations-crazed Mother, Tyler’s outlook is shaped by one other piece of literature, Station Eleven. Gifted to him by his father Arthur, Station Eleven heavily influences Tylers idea of “perfection” so much so that he is willing to go to battle armed with nothing but a handful of quotes. Station Eleven also later connects Tyler to Kirsten, who takes pity on him in his death, and lays his beloved book in his arms before continuing on her journey. The conflicting aspects of Dr. Eleven, and the words of God twist around Tylers mind like coiling snakes, and shape his view of the world into a dark and dismal story where only the strong