Alas, Babylon Lesson Plan

What is the effect of opening with a description of Florence Wechek? How is Florence described? Do you find yourself judging Florence? How or how not?

For a novel about atomic holocaust, Alas, Babylon has a strangely contained opening. The description of Florence Wechek introduces Randy to the readers by showing him as a disreputable person. Students will likely also notice that the narrator is quite cruel about Florence. We readers are invited to laugh at her as a gossip who loves animals instead of people.

The first chapters repeatedly remind us that Randy Bragg is held in low esteem by many people in Fort Repose. What qualities in Randy do you find yourself judging?...