A teen’s lament

by Rocío Gulín

Zombies, zombies everywhere! It is no secret that zombies are becoming more and more popular among teenagers and adults. You can find games, series, films and even stories about them. “A zombie’s lament” is a short story, written by S. G. Browne, that describes Andy’s life. Andy is a man who died in a car accident and became a zombie. He lives in his parents’ attic and spends most of the time wondering what he’s going to do. Although his parents let him stay in the attic, they avoid him just like the rest of the human beings do. Lately, Andy joins a support group, and he and some of the members begin to perpetuate the stereotype of the undead, that is to say that they begin to eat people. Trying to define YAL (Young Adult Literature), Small has stated a list of characteristics. As this story includes most of the features that he has mentioned, it can be considered a young adult text.

One of the most important characteristics that Small states is that the main character is a teenager. Although Andy is not a teenager, he has certain teenage characteristics. He is worried about being accepted and understood by his parents, as adolescents do. It is very important for teenagers to be accepted by others, and friendship is one of the ways to satisfy this need. A teenage needs someone who will understand him, someone whom he can tell about his problems and get help from him. Friends tend to have a lot of influence on teenagers. These facts are seen in the story when Andy becomes friends with other zombies and after watching “the night of the Living Dead”, they decide to begin eating human beings.

Coinciding with Small’s characterisation of YAL, the main character is the center of the plot. Andy is perceptive, sensitive, intelligent and mature. His sensitivity is seen in the whole story when he explains that he misses his wife and daughter, and his intelligence and maturity are seen when he states that he understands why breathers don’t want to be near the zombies. Also, he is conscious about the fact that eating human beings is not right, but he decides to do it anyway, as a way of rebelliousness.

In addition, “A zombie’s lament” deals with some of the topics that characterise YAL, such as the eternal questions “Who am I?” and “where do I fit in?”, discrimination and death. Furthermore, his story can be a metaphor of adolescents because they tend to look for their place in the world, as Andy does.

In conclusion, “A zombie’s lament” is a short story that contains many of the characteristics mentioned by Small when describing young adult literature. What is more, this story mixes some features that characterize adolescents and one of their favorite genres, zombies, making it appealing to them and to adults who like this type of literature.