Bear Grylls once said, “Survival can be summed up in three words-- never give up.” This is exactly what the characters do going through a nuclear war. The drastic experience takes the characters on an emotional journey as well as help them take a look at the world through a different perspective. Alas, Babylon, a classic apocalyptic novel by Pat Frank, utilizes psychological situations and common knowledge to show that survival of the fittest brings out the true nature of people
The characters go through many emotional and psychological situations that bring out their actual inner being. These circumstances change the way they look at everything and impact them directly in their core. For instance, Randy was getting a haircut by Helen when …show more content…
With two nuclear bombs landing, this shows how people would actually deal with a crisis. According to Arnold Toynbee, a British historian and philosopher, “some nations and some people melt in the heat of the crisis...Others meet challenges and harden” (Frank 133). When Randy does not believe that he can go through this battle, Dan Gunn, his best friend and doctor, tells him this. While many people show their fears in dangerous situations like those in the novel, Randy is the type of person who becomes brave and faces the challenge head on. He realizes that after all of his hard work that they actually survive, proving that he was on of the fittest. His determination pays off when the only thing he wants is to survive. That is the only resolution that everyone wants to reach throughout this novel. Winning the war is not part of their concern. The Admiral knows that they will not achieve anything from winning the war and claims that “[nobody is] winning. Cities are dying and ships are sinking and aircraft is going in, but “[nobody is] winning” (Frank 141). Admiral Sam realizes that no war in anger is ever won. He informs Randy that, win or lose, the only thing they need to do is survive in order to see the aftermath of what is left behind from all of the destruction. With the Admiral's knowledge, Randy
The characters go through many emotional and psychological situations that bring out their actual inner being. These circumstances change the way they look at everything and impact them directly in their core. For instance, Randy was getting a haircut by Helen when …show more content…
With two nuclear bombs landing, this shows how people would actually deal with a crisis. According to Arnold Toynbee, a British historian and philosopher, “some nations and some people melt in the heat of the crisis...Others meet challenges and harden” (Frank 133). When Randy does not believe that he can go through this battle, Dan Gunn, his best friend and doctor, tells him this. While many people show their fears in dangerous situations like those in the novel, Randy is the type of person who becomes brave and faces the challenge head on. He realizes that after all of his hard work that they actually survive, proving that he was on of the fittest. His determination pays off when the only thing he wants is to survive. That is the only resolution that everyone wants to reach throughout this novel. Winning the war is not part of their concern. The Admiral knows that they will not achieve anything from winning the war and claims that “[nobody is] winning. Cities are dying and ships are sinking and aircraft is going in, but “[nobody is] winning” (Frank 141). Admiral Sam realizes that no war in anger is ever won. He informs Randy that, win or lose, the only thing they need to do is survive in order to see the aftermath of what is left behind from all of the destruction. With the Admiral's knowledge, Randy