Zone One Essay Questions

At several points in the novel, Whitehead emphasizes that Mark Spitz is an entirely average individual. What might be the significance of this aspect of Mark's character?

An effective response to this question would locate examples from the novel. Examples could include: "His aptitude lay in the well-executed muddle, never shining never flunking, but gathering himself for what it took to progress past life's next random obstacle" (p. 11) and "He was a mediocre man. He had led a mediocre life expectational only in the magnitude of its unexceptionally" (p. 183). These quotes could be analyzed in several ways. For example, Whitehead could be arguing that everyone has the potential to rise up and face adversity–to become a hero–even those that might seem the least likely to do so. At the same time, he might also be suggesting that the values we might deem necessary for success now are only relevant to the world in which we currently live. A world-changing event like the plague would totally redefine what it means to be successful or mediocre. Therefore people like Gary and Mark, while not successful in the old world, come to possess the very skillset required to survive in the new world. Through his unconventional protagonist, Whitehead demonstrates that a catastrophe like a plague would transform the distinctions between people, and create unlikely heroes in the process.

While Whitehead makes it clear that the plague has fundamentally changed the world, he also suggests that certain problems from the old world have carried over into the new society. Identify several examples and explain their significance.

An effective response to this question could begin with an explanation of just how much the world has changed after the plague. This could include a quote describing a deserted and ruined New York City, or the line-up of abandoned cars on the I-95 highway. The obvious differences could then be contrasted with the continuities from before and after the plague. Prominent among them is the persistence of capitalism. Even though the world has been destroyed, somehow the capitalist system has managed to survive. The government in Buffalo forms sponsorship deals with various companies, including a clothing retailer that "kept abreast of the latest fronts in child labor" (p. 46). Similarly, inequality was not eradicated by the plague. When discussing the resettlement of New York City, Gary expresses his belief that "'they're going to put the rich people here. Politicians and pro athletes. Those chefs from the cooking shows" (p. 89). Later in the novel, after Zone One has collapsed, Ms. Macy admits that the elites have most likely fled America to the safety of an island like Bermuda. By establishing these continuities, Whitehead suggests that the problems of the world will not be solved by a plague alone–if anything, they'll be exacerbated by it. In this sense, images of a post-apocalyptic utopia are nothing but a fantasy if we are unable to solve the problems of the world today.

A number of powerful and suggestive symbols appear in Zone One. Identify three and explain their significance to the broader novel.

There are many options to choose from for this prompt. One could begin with New York City and argue that it represents the fruits of human ingenuity and cooperation. An effective argument would draw quotes directly from the novel. For example, at the beginning of the novel, the narrator notes that "millions of people tended to this magnificent contraption, they lived and sweated and toiled in it, serving the mechanism of metropolis and making it bigger, better, story by glorious story and idea by unlikely idea" (p. 5). Another important symbol is the wall surrounding Zone One. More than just an attempt to "keep chaos out, [and] order in," the wall is an attempt to draw a clear divide between the humans the skels–to make it clear that one is not like the other (p. 121). The collapse of the wall at the end of the novel indicates that this divide is not possible. A third example could be the stalks of corn that Mark discovers on his first night at Happy Acres. Described as "holy stalks, up to his chest and disappearing into the darkness" symbolize human regrowth and regeneration after the plague (p. 45). At the same time, corn is not a wild plant but rather a human invention. Thus, the corn symbolizes the extent to which humans have intervened and irrevocably altered the world around us.

What is the function of flashbacks in the novel?

Whitehead cleverly weaves the past and the present of the novel together through the use of flashbacks. The first scene of the novel is actually a flashback prompted by Mark seeing his uncle's old apartment building that he often visited as a child. The use of flashbacks facilitates a sense of suspense and mystery in the novel, as one needs to keep reading to figure out important pieces of the narrative. While the post-apocalyptic landscape is described in the opening pages of the novel, the exact nature of the plague is not described until nearly 60 pages into the novel. The flashbacks thus allow Whitehead to provide important information in an enticing way. On another level, the flashbacks also demonstrate the persistence of memory as Mark is continually reminded of the horrors of his past. In this way, the flashbacks serve as an illustration of the Post-Apocalyptic Stress Disorder described in the novel.

What is the significance of Mark Spitz's nickname?

The origins of Mark Spitz's nickname are not revealed until over halfway into the novel (another example of Whitehead strategically withholding information). Finally, in a flashback sequence back to when Mark Spitz worked as a "wrecker" on the I-95 highway, it is revealed that he was given his name during an incident on a bridge when a group of skels was released from the back of an abandoned semi-truck. While the rest of Mark's team jumped from the bridge to the water below, Mark refused to jump because he does not know how to swim. He is thus given the name Mark Spitz after "an Olympic swimmer in the previous century, a real thoroughbred who'd held the world record for the most medals in one game: freestyle, butterfly" (p. 287). In a sense, Mark's nickname is another element of his unlikely status as the novel's hero. Indeed, while we think of heroes having great strength or courage, it's less common to imagine them being unable to swim. At the same time, Mark's nickname also relates to the racial dynamics depicted in the name. This is addressed in an interaction between Mark and Gary after Gary has been bit by the skel. Mark explains the origins of his nickname to Gary and mentions "the black-people-can't-swim thing" (p. 287). This is a reference to the racist stereotype that most African-Americans cannot swim. This is also the first time in the novel that Mark's race is indicated. Here, the nickname takes on a racial dynamic, suggesting that the forms of stereotype and prejudice which existed before the plague have continued on into the world after.