“The Pandemic of War in On the Beach”
Imagine being trapped in a world where every other country and civilization is destroyed by nuclear radiation and completely uninhabitable. Australia is the only civilization left for human beings in the now radiation covered world. The people there are from all walks of life but are running out of supplies; food, water, and gasoline. On top of running out of these necessities those people are facing not only physical conflicts but also mental conflicts. The man vs man, man vs society, and man vs fate conflicts in On the Beach illuminate the theme that nuclear war, if left unchecked, will ultimately destroy the world. This can be seen by the struggle of man to survive, how the knowledge of man led to
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This conflict can be seen early in the novel because the characters in the novel are the world’s last few survivors of the first atomic war and have to figure out how to live with death unavoidable and possible at any moment (“Overview of Nevil Shute Norway”). As the last survivors in the entire world and as the only members left of humankind it 's clear how society is hard to cope with in a changing and ending world. “Overriding social issue of the novel is the end of society itself” (Beacham’s Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction 1). It’s clear how the social issues are affecting the characters in the novel and how each character reacts to the new social norms is not helping people cope with the end of the world. One of the main new norms is “The government is gives out free drugs to the general public that allows people to end their lives painlessly in a pill or injectable form to allow them to avoid the painful death of radiation poisoning” (Novels for Students 1). This new norm tears character’s morals apart because it gives people the choice to end their life before radiation dose or to end the life of a child in the case of the Holmes’ family. Mary, Peter’s wife, struggles with both the option to end lives and the approaching end of the humanity. People are planning things for the future that they know will never be fulfilled. For example Mary …show more content…
The fate of their impending death is something that everyone in the novel must be aware of. “All the characters are aware of their impending death.” (Overview of “On the Beach” 1) showing how the war started by mankind became the end of mankind and the humans left are aware that it 's man’s fault for their death. The media, mostly newspapers, had nothing to write about besides impending death that people didn’t bother to worry or read the paper. The news did not trouble her particularly; all news was bad, like wage demands, strikes, or war, and the wise person paid no attention to it.” (Shute 15). “I’m glad we haven’t got newpapers now. It’s been much nicer without them.” (Shute 15). “If what they say is right we’re none of us going to have time to do all that we planned to do. But we can keep on doing it as long as we can” (Shute 133). People must accept their fate and have to be able to realize that they will never be able to live a full
In Nevil Shute’s On the Beach, the story of the last days of the lives of the last humans on Earth is told. Victims of Global-Thermonuclear war, which they took no part in, they are aware of the massive radiation cloud drifting south towards Australia. The main focus of the novel is not the plot, but the characters, who they become and what they do in their last days. Two such characters are John Osborne, a scientist studying the effects of the radiation, and Mary Holmes, a Navy-wife and recent mother. Through the course of the novel, though there is little interaction between the two, it becomes apparent that they are foils for each other, portraying near opposite reactions to the impending end.
One conflict seen in Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is the conflict between man and nature, which Louie, Phil, and Mac faced while lost at sea. As the men spent countless days at sea their points of view about the situation “were becoming self- fulfilling” (Hillenbrand 155). The
They try to ignore and escape from reality, so they decide not to visit Melbourne anymore. They choose the easiest way and hope that there will be a small chance to survive. Peter Holmes is afraid that he won’t be at home when radiation comes. They don’t want to accept that they will die, because it has always been their dream to have a perfect family and they will have to kill their young daughter, Jennifer.
Throughout the course of history, the majority of people have always been shown to eventually and always, die. This was especially shown when the people were colonizing for the English and were trying to colonize the Americas. Many colonists escaped Europe by means of transportation to escape a harsh life, and in hopes of finding a new land where they would not be kept down by something they all called a glass ceiling. The colonists wanted to choose for themselves and wanted a place where they could freely practice their religion and their cultures. In addition, they wanted to establish a stable colony and also wanted a stable trade to the mainland of Europe. Unfortunately, the Americas were not as hospitable as everyone thought it to be.
Throughout the story, death is treated as a game. While members of the gang die, the group continues, barely taking notice another man has been lost. Yet, the only real control the characters have over their lives is death. On the harsh plains, the only thing certain is death. Other occurrences are merely incidental or random.
Throughout the novel death is portrayed as normal, something not too worry about. An example of this is shown when the director takes the students through the facility, “Bernard, whispering, made an appointment with the Headmistress for that very evening, ‘from the Slough Crematorium. Death conditioning begins at eighteen months. Every tot spends two mornings a week in a Hospital for the Dying. All the best toys are kept there, and they get chocolate cream on death days. They learn to take dying as a matter of course’”(109). The portray death to children as relaxing and fun so they do not fear or get sad about deaths of a loved one. Another example of this is shown when the director talks about how everyone dies when they are sixty. The world state does this because when the are sixty they do not want to work or play their expensive games. During their life the always look you, they are fit, and healthy. The people in the world state see not having too grow old as a luxury. They see the elderly as gross, fat, disgusting creatures with growths and blemishes. Both of these views are highly contrasted with what the concepts of love and marriage are like in the world today. People view death as a new beginning. We believe that when we die our spirits go on into either heaven or hell based on our actions. This makes us strive to do good in the world so we would be compensated for our actions. Another example is that People view old age. As children we are taught to love and respect the elderly because the give the next generation values and morals to help guide their lives. We all honor the elderly with medical assistance and holidays made to celebrate
You might believe that Soul Surfer and Rise Above have totally different themes based on how the stories are written and told. But the truth of the matter is that Soul Surfer and Rise Above both have a theme of overcoming challenges. In Soul Surfer the theme is mostly about never giving up helps you conquer your challenges. She shows that you can't give up on yourself because you will never get anywhere. In Rise Above the theme is that believing in God and keeping the faith in him help you overcome challenges.
John Hersey shows that the atomic bomb is merciless by explaining the effect of the bomb on children. Hersey describes a mother’s search for her children to do so, “She heard a child cry, ‘Mother, help me,’ and saw her youngest, Myeko… buried up to her breast and unable to move. As Mrs. Nakamura started frantically to claw her baby, she could see or hear nothing of her other children” (Hersey 10, 11). He uses an example of children in danger because they are usually perceived as vulnerable, which helps Hersey make his point. Consequently, the reader undergoes feelings of sorrow because those who are attacked are not capable of defending themselves. Hersey is able to easily prove his case by illustrating the suffering of the most vulnerable of victims.
Statistics show that 100% of people who are born die eventually, but we still consider death a taboo. We don't talk about it. We avoid it at all cost. People have a habit of clinging to life, but this habit can degrade our self-respect and dignity. Humans should not live like plants. Susan's father did not believe in the afterlife and he claimed that he wanted every last bit of life, even if he had to be supported by machines. He changed his mind after a long and futile battle with his illnesses. When the patient gives up, when his energy is depleted, only a quick death comes to mind.
• James believed that one of America’s responsibilities was “fighting against a superstitious valuation of Europe,” (pg. 1208) o America was trying to break free from Europe’s cultural influences and form its own culture. • An important theme in “The Real Thing” is that people do not really like the real thing, but they like the illusion or the presented. • “..in 1882, James determined ‘to write a very “American tale, a tale very characteristics of our social conditions,” (pg. 1208)
as I gaily walk down the shoreline of the Outer Banks. My all time favorite
A new day has begun. Slowly ascending into the cold dark sky, the sun glows vibrantly with delight. The passionate colours fill the sky with warmth like the pink grapefruits, zesty lemons, citrus oranges and cherry red. The sea so subtle sparkles preciously as it strolls up against the shore. The crystal water that stretch out far into the horizon gets darker and deeper but stays very calm.
As I lay on the minute golden grains of sand, I looked up at the brilliant sky, adorned with flashes of pink and orange and purple, mirroring the colours of a flawless seasoned apricot. The goddess-like sun’s face is being embraced by the demure navy fingertips of the skyline.
I turned off the car and took a deep breath. Looking slowly up into the pink sky, I began to watch the golden sun go to sleep. The beach seemed deserted, quiet, but peaceful. I opened my door and put my feet out on the soft sand. I started taking my shoes off, then my socks. I threw them in the passenger seat, and then shut the door. I looked out over horizon of the lake and started walking towards the still water. With each step I took, I could feel the warm sand crunch between my toes. Then suddenly, a sharp rock, but not sharp enough to break the skin.
I use any excuse to walk along the ocean, especially alone and without my phone. The wind blew cold air, but the sun’s warm rays kept my body at a perfect temperature. It was three in the afternoon and I was calm.