Cultures, Religions, and Societies in the New World: Station Eleven

  


     In the third section of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, the novel drew to an end in exciting and way enticing. By analyzing the setting of the story, we can interpret how Mandel shows a different outlook on the similarities between post-colonial in the real world and the post-apocalyptic settlements and culture in this novel.
     From the beginning of the novel, all of civilization and culture has been eradicated because of the pandemic; however, the end shows a gradual establishment of new cultures and settlements. I think the rise of new settlements represented the establishment of colonies in a post-apocalyptic climate, similar to Europeans claiming an “apparently" empty land and establishing a society there. The foundation of the Severn City Airport settlement and the Prophet’s rise to power are examples of postcolonialism in this novel. Further, the same way colonizers changed the society of the land they were at, the apocalypse changed social constructs and culture of the settlements. Nevertheless, people struggled to hold on to their values before the flu; however, it became difficult when the apocalypse proposed new threats that they weren’t used to before. For example, people more likely to have killed someone and “by the absurd standards of the new world… this was all perfectly normal” (Mendal 279). Many people struggled to maintain differences in the personal identity however, this leads to problems within settlements that led to violence and disagreement.


      The Prophet’s rise to power can be compared to European and the Catholic church’s power over Aboriginal culture in Canada (“Colonialism”). In societies, religion is known for shaping people’s perceptions of themselves and the world in which they live. The apocalypse shook people’s old beliefs caused them to rethink their identities and start to believe in new ways of living. Moreover, people in Severn City wanted something to believe in and so a new culture based on survival was born. In Section 7, people established a settlement inside of the Severn City Airport known as the Museum of Civilization. Over time, people stopped believing that there was a world outside of the airport and accepted that no one was going to rescue them. This resulted in a shift in culture because their culture revolved around survival rather than spirituality and faith in civilization.
     In a postcolonial lens, this also applies to the Prophet because he believed that he survived because his people and him “are of the light” (Mendal 255). However, the Prophet is an oppressor and not everyone who follow him actually believe him. the little boy who helped Kirsten and August explained that not everyone followed the Prophet for his beliefs rather they do because he forces them. He said, “If you’re not a true believer, you’re not going to talk about it…this time we live in, you know how it forces a person to do things,” (Mandel 293). The boy suggested that the Prophet gained power and manipulated many people to follow him out of fear for their safety in the dangerous world. People cannot imagine what would happen if anyone were to resist his power. This sort of oppression is reflected in many cultures around the world.

     The downfall of the Prophet was caused by the oppressed, specifically the young boy. When the Prophet finally caught Kirsten, the young boy with the gun in his hands decided that he could not stand to follow the Prophet anymore and shot him. This was significant because it represented the manner how anti-colonial resistance will overthrow their oppressor given the time. The assassination of political figures, such as Saddam Hussein or Julius Caesar, due to their policies or general public dislike is a part of history (Pappas, “Dictator Deaths: How 13 Notorious Leaders Died”). At a certain point, the conquered will not tolerate the laws of their conquerors. This can result in protests, resistance, and ultimately violence after the hatred manifests itself. After the dictator falls, peace is restored which was described in the last part of Section 8 when Kirsten and August reach the Severn City Airport.
    Station Eleven illustrated a desolate and empty world. Despite the lack of resources and people, surviving humans still managed to create a new civilization with a different culture and societal construct based on survival as seen in the Severn City Airport. This novel emphasized that humans can still establish a new civilization out of the ashes of a previous one. Those who cannot adapt to the cultural and societal changes that come with the new civilization will be marginalized. Additionally, I think the novel showed that many of the same strategies to gain power, such as fear and desire to please can be used in any situation. Although the world changes, human nature will never change. Therefore, a government could be established in the same way it has been for generations as done by the Prophet. Station Eleven showed a different perspective of post-colonialism which signified socio-cultural aspects of beginning post-apocalyptic civilizations and its government (Costa, “Postcolonialism Theory”). It also illustrated that there are many similarities between the way civilization is created in both colonial and apocalyptic eras. In the end, I think human nature and its desire for culture and faith will remain the same and civilization will always begin the same way as before.

 

Works Cited

“Colonialism.” The Eugenics Archives,
     eugenicsarchive.ca/discover/connections/535eeaf37095aa0000000216.
Costa, Gemma. “Postcolonialism Theory.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 31 Jan. 2010,
     http://www.slideshare.net/gemcosta/postcolonialism-theory.
Mandel, Emily St. John. Station Eleven. HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.
Pappas, Stephanie. “Dictator Deaths: How 13 Notorious Leaders Died”. Live 
   Science, 2018, https://www.livescience.com/41224-how-dictators-die.html.