Fort Repose: A Case Study

In an apocalyptic state after The Day, the town of Fort Repose is required to alter their mindset and expectations of the interworkings of their society. Resources that were once abundant and overlooked are now scarce, their pre-existing system for justice has turned into martial law, and the jobs of individual citizens have been altered completely. However, the most significant rule change is the crashing of the entire economy and monetary system.

When Mr. Quisenberry arrives at the Western Union office, he is angered to hear that the message he is trying to send to the Atlanta Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank cannot be sent because it is not official defense information. Although everyone that arrived at the bank was there to withdraw, his confidence remained un-waivered. However, when confronted about this, Mr. Quisenberry says, “Mrs. Estes, will you please return to your cage” (113). Edgar is not known for letting others have …show more content…
For two ten-pound bags of salt, Randy pays $200. The grocery store had “sold out of just about everything by closing time yesterday” (155) because people were afraid there would be none left. Even when Mr. Bragg arrives at the Hardware store, Mr. Beck charges him nothing for the Mason jars he wants to purchase because “that’s all [he’s] got left – money” (156). However, when the community has to rebuild, they will have to return to a system of trading goods and services to get what they need.
For many, the collapse of the monetary system brings panic; causing them to withdraw their life savings and spend it on anything they will need for the future. Randy Bragg foreshadowed to this exact event in chapter 3 when he said, “Mark is simply betting that checks won’t be worth anything, very shortly, but cash will” (43). The Day has brought about many changes to the town of Fort Repose, but the crashing of the financial system is a