Within the text of Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel states, “First we only want to be seen, but once we’re seen, that’s not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered” (Mandel 187). Therein lies the truth. Station Eleven tells the tale of the Symphony, one of the final bastions of pre-apocalyptic culture in Mandel’s post-apocalyptic wasteland. Its members desperately try to preserve culture through Shakespearean plays and orchestral recitals. It is through this that one can conclude that Station Eleven is a dystopian novel. This can be determined through its society’s creation, protagonist, theme, and comparison.
Creation of Dystopian Society This dystopia is an example of the second common formation of a dystopia. In summary, …show more content…
They include Arthur, an actor-turned-patient-zero of the disease; Elizabeth and Miranda, his ex-wives; Jeevan, a paparazzo-turned-paramedic; and Clark, a survivor and childhood friend of Arthur. These protagonists are diverse, and all could have paragraphs devoted to their role in the story; however, the only character who can truly be called a dystopian protagonist is Kirsten Raymonde. Kirsten was only eight when the apocalypse hit, and spends her days trying to recall the world as it was before disaster struck. She is particularly enamored with the Symphony’s mantra that “survival is insufficient;” when Symphony members criticize the quote for its Star Trek origins, Kirsten jumps to its defense (Mandel 119-20). Unlike most dystopian protagonists, Kirsten changes very little over the course of the novel. Rather, the novel is a process of reflection; she spends time reflecting on her past, such as the two knife tattoos on her right wrist. Each tattoo represents a person Kirsten was forced to kill in her travels, and symbolizes how she carries their memories with her forever (Mandel 295-6). She also questions the antagonistic prophet’s society from the moment she enters it; Kirsten immediately requests that the Symphony leaves after a single meeting with a former citizen of the town-turned-cult (Mandel
Creation of Dystopian Society This dystopia is an example of the second common formation of a dystopia. In summary, …show more content…
They include Arthur, an actor-turned-patient-zero of the disease; Elizabeth and Miranda, his ex-wives; Jeevan, a paparazzo-turned-paramedic; and Clark, a survivor and childhood friend of Arthur. These protagonists are diverse, and all could have paragraphs devoted to their role in the story; however, the only character who can truly be called a dystopian protagonist is Kirsten Raymonde. Kirsten was only eight when the apocalypse hit, and spends her days trying to recall the world as it was before disaster struck. She is particularly enamored with the Symphony’s mantra that “survival is insufficient;” when Symphony members criticize the quote for its Star Trek origins, Kirsten jumps to its defense (Mandel 119-20). Unlike most dystopian protagonists, Kirsten changes very little over the course of the novel. Rather, the novel is a process of reflection; she spends time reflecting on her past, such as the two knife tattoos on her right wrist. Each tattoo represents a person Kirsten was forced to kill in her travels, and symbolizes how she carries their memories with her forever (Mandel 295-6). She also questions the antagonistic prophet’s society from the moment she enters it; Kirsten immediately requests that the Symphony leaves after a single meeting with a former citizen of the town-turned-cult (Mandel