Z For Zachariah Essay Questions

What are the factors that contribute to Ann’s decision to leave the valley?

There is a sense of fear that Mr. Loomis instills in Ann that forces her out of her home. Her attempts at reconciliation or compromise are not successful, and because she does not want to kill Mr. Loomis, she sees no other way to live sanely than to leave the valley. Moreover, she dreams about what could have been possible had the war not happened. Ann continues to think about being a teacher and dreams about classrooms, her own schoolchildren, and reading books. She is willing to take the risk of leaving because there is sense of hope that there are other people out there, and that her dreams are actual premonitions, if only she has the courage to leave.

Why does Ann care so much for Mr. Loomis, even after he starts acting in a way that makes her uncomfortable and scared?

For the longest time, Ann had no one to talk to or interact with. Despite all the horrors and sorrows she experienced, she hopes (at least, initially) that Mr. Loomis could bring life into her mundane, lonely routine. She also thinks about getting married, and goes so far as to consider Mr. Loomis as a suitor. Ann’s desire to maintain human contact supersedes the inconvenience that Mr. Loomis brings – whether that is taking care of him while also tending to the garden and other housework, or having to deal with his nagging, disrespectful behavior and difficult personality.

How can we understand the significance of the final encounter between Mr. Loomis and Ann?

Ironically, Mr. Loomis does not want Ann to leave him by himself in the valley. He urges her to stay. But Ann is keenly aware of the consequences of doing so. She takes a strong stand on her decision to leave, and makes the bold move of turning around and walking away with the safe suit, even as Mr. Loomis has a gun in his hand (which he has not hesitated to use in the past). When Mr. Loomis is yelling at Ann as she walks away, she turns around and, seemingly out of kindness or friendship, he points her towards the direction that he saw birds flying. Despite the incredible hostility and injustice that he has impressed upon Ann, Mr. Loomis reveals his humanity in this moment. In doing so, he indicates that he wants Ann to live, although his behavior regarding the safe suit is in stark contrast to how he felt about Edward wearing it. With Edward, he showed a great deal of animosity and eventually killed him. But with Ann there is sense of compassion.

What role does Faro play in the relationship between Ann and Mr. Loomis?

Faro acts as a kind of mediator, despite being a dog, between Ann and Mr. Loomis. He has a complicated relationship to Ann in particular. On one hand, he relieves much of the tension that Ann experiences when Mr. Loomis forcefully grabs her hand and serves as a beacon of safety when he makes a noise as Mr. Loomis is about to attack Ann. On the other hand, he poses a great deal of danger to Ann because Mr. Loomis quickly realizes that he can use Faro to track Ann. In many situations, she only escapes detection because Mr. Loomis is too weak or slow to follow Faro into the woods to her cave. Faro ends up dying from radiation poisoning, but nonetheless, on the final evening before his death, Ann brings him up to her cave, where she takes care of him.

How does Ann attempt to reconcile her conflict with Mr. Loomis?

Ann proposes to do all the farming and handiwork around the house in exchange for half the food and being left alone. Mr. Loomis does not like this, mostly because it prevents him from controlling her. For about 10 days, this system works well. But afterwards, Mr. Loomis seems to lose patience and for reasons that remain unclear he becomes aggressive to and overly possessive of Ann. The lack of cooperation on the part of Mr. Loomis leads Ann to rethink her position in the relationship and whether she should stay in the valley at all.