Role Of Community In Josh Neufeld's A. D: After The Deluge

Has there ever been a time in your life where you were thrown into a situation caused by such a traumatic event, that by the time it was over, changed not only who you were as a person, you’re your views as well? That is exactly how one of the main characters, Denise, in the graphic novel, A.D: After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld, had experienced as a result of viewing all the horrors associated with Hurricane Katrina. The novel is presented to the reader by the lives of seven individuals and their own personal point of views, before, during, and after the horrendous devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This novel is about the loss, survival, and devastation that thousands of people went through and how those very things led to a sense of community

Denise, who is an angry, African-American counselor, living in New Orleans, develops much throughout the novel. When Denise lives in Baton Rouge, she never feels quite like herself, but later she moves home to New Orleans, and suddenly she becomes to feel more like herself again. There is also a sense of government failure, in which Neufeld voices, throughout characters such as the doctor as well as Denise. Page 124 the page depicts Denise outside the convention center screaming “How can this be happening?! Don’t the authorities know about us? Don’t They Care?!”. The US government failed to bring food, water, and supplies to the people devastated by the storm. These people who begged, but only left scraps of wreckage from their homes. This novel explains how the “thugs” and “looters” provided food and resources to the survivors when FEMA

For example, she was outraged when the hospital would not give Denise and her a private room, because they were all packed with patients. Denise develops as a person because at first, she feared going back home, due to financial issues and thought of reconstruction with her whole life, but in the end, she decided to make the trek there. It is the slow rebuilding of the city that is keeping most of the prior residents away. It is a lot to go through, when a natural disaster has wiped out entire towns and forced thousands of people out of their homes. Going to a new place, figuring out how to live, it can be very frightening. But there is also a sense of disorder and confusion that accompanies the diaspora. Going to a new place figuring out how to live changes people internally from everything they have left behind. Going through this tragedy changes Denise and grants her emotional maturity as well as a deeper sense of compassion because she realizes all that she and everyone’s has lost, which aids in their sense of community and comfort. By showing compassion to others, she gains some hopefulness, and in turn a better sense of self-understanding, in order to fill the void within herself. The stylistic elements in A.D: After Deluge go further in depth to create empathy within the reader. The