Zone One

Mark notes that there are three versions of his Last Night story that he tells, depending on circumstance: the Silhouette, the Anecdote, and the Obituary. In what circumstances have these different versions of his Last Night story appeared? What do they tell us about Mark and his relationships with those around him? 

The various soldiers and civilians at Fort Wonton distinguish stragglers from typical skels based upon their distinct demeanors; the former seemingly haunt the landscape and are generally harmless, whereas the latter are hostile. Why is it important that Whitehead creates two different types of infected beings? 

Discuss the relationship between the different Omega team members—Mark, Gary, and Kaitlyn. How would you define their relationship, especially towards the end, with Gary’s death? 

Throughout the novel, U.S. government officials emphasize the importance of readying Zone One for reconstruction as its success will inspire hope for future rebuilding efforts to come. In what ways do Zone One, the area formerly known as New York City’s Manhattan, symbolize this hope for the U.S. government? How do the sweepers receive this hope? 

The novel moves between a real-time narration of the three days leading up to the fall of Fort Wonton and Mark’s flashbacks. Describe how this narrative structure speaks to the increasing sense of emergency and traumatic memory within the novel.

At the end of the novel, a crowd of skels descend upon Fort Wonton in an unprecedented attack. While the members of Fort Wonton are taken by surprise, Mark’s flashbacks to his encounters with skels during his journey through the Northeastern region of the U.S seem to foreshadow the escalating strength of the skels. Discuss at least three of Mark’s flashbacks that may offer clues towards the skel takeover in the novel’s end.

Throughout the novel, the Lieutenant serves as an eccentric but humanizing voice whose presence offers hope to Mark in a time of disaster. The Lieutenant expresses an unlikely empathy towards the skels, particularly the stragglers. Discuss the Lieutenant’s attitude towards the infected and how this view has influenced those around him. How is his perspective different from others? 

In Zone One, there are those who try to survive on the run and those who stay behind, those who scavenge in groups and those who choose to be on their own. Discuss at least three chosen methods of survival that the novel portrays and indicate which mode Mark deems to be the most effective for staying alive. What type of value(s) does each method imply?