Suspense And Tension In Station Eleven

Nothing was more frustrating in the novel Station Eleven than the ineffective confrontation between Kirsten and the prophet toward the end of the story. Throughout the story, the prophet and Kirsten are presented as opposites. The prophet seeks coherent narratives and believes everything happens for a reason, while Kirsten doesn’t mind unclear disjointed narratives and prefers to go with the flow. However, when Kirsten and the prophet finally realize they both read the comic book Station Eleven, they don’t get the chance to confirm their connection nor do they talk about it which makes this scene an unsuccessful anticlimax. An anticlimax occurs at the end of the story when there is a lot of buildup and tension but then nothing gets resolved.

This is demonstrated during his first appearance in the novel when he says “that everything that has ever happened on this earth has happened for a reason” (Mandel 60). He uses that statement to back up his belief that the flu was a divine punishment, equivalent to the flood from the legend of Noah’s ark, meant to cleanse the earth. His sermon promotes the idea that even the most awful events—like the Georgia flu—had to have occurred for a purpose and so all other events must as well. His line of thinking was revealed to be influenced by his mother, Elizabeth, who also believes “everything happens for a reason” (Mandel 224). This is a statement she keeps repeating during her time at the Severn City Airport during the first days of the flu outbreak. It’s why the prophet prefers legends as they are straightforward and follow the same structural formula. This makes sense considering that the flu arrived when he was a young boy and had a hard time comprehending what was going on around him. This was illustrated in chapter 44 when Clark witnesses the young prophet, Tyler, reading passages from the Bible about a plague to the abandoned airport. When confronted, he tells Clark he wanted the dead in that airplane "to know that it happened for a reason” and that they were saved for a reason (Mandel 233). This moment in the book cements the impact the

In the novel, when Kirsten is caught by the prophet, she notices how he uses the word undersea when talking to her and begins to recite from the comic. However, “the prophet’s expression was unreadable” and he didn’t look to have recognized the text (Mandel 270). Before he can reply, he is immediately shot to death. Although the two are linked by the comic and Arthur Leander, they are unable to identify one another or come to terms in this tense moment so this situation can’t qualify as a good confrontation because neither side is aware of the other's identity nor given much of a chance to defend their beliefs. I have changed this in my creative intervention as it showcases a conversation about their viewpoints regarding the plague and how their belief ties into their way of thinking. My creative interventions allow both views presented in the novel to be balanced, instead of one being superior to the other. The prophet isn’t necessarily incorrect in thinking, it's the way he chooses to act upon his beliefs that is wrong. Mandel doesn’t give a chance for the reader to see from the prophet's point of view and in the one scene where we do get a chance to see him defend his stance he's immediately shot. The