by Mariela Panzita
Zombies are among us, there is no doubt about it. They are part of our society. In fact, they have worked so hard for a place that they have earned it.
Eating brains, scaring people to death and walking in a funny way are trends of their trademark. Readers love them. This “returning from the death world” thing has captured a selected audience worldwide. Among the huge percentage of the population who loves this kind of stories are adolescents. Teenagers are very fond of these odd characters desperate for blood and to take living people to the underworld.
Ray Bradbury’s “The Emissary”, doesn’t fail to create the perfect atmosphere, containing all the ingredients that young adults love, nowadays. In the story, Martin, who is a ten year old boy, has a mysterious disease which keeps him isolated from the rest of the world. His only contact from outside his room is Dog, a cane who communicates his owner the events that happen around him. Martin’s dog has everything he needs to be a zombie, a great life, an abrupt end and a reason to come back to his owner. In the middle of the story, Martin’s teacher dies in a car accident. Somehow, Martin faces the fact that death is part of life but still he has doubts about what people who dies do in their graveyards. Teenagers enjoy these kind of stories in which life and death are interchangeable facts of life. They, themselves are going through a period, in which extremes cohabit in their bodies.
In the story, although Martin is not a teenager yet, the fact that he doesn’t rely on his mother is a characteristic of adolescent’s behaviour. Martin, who hasn’t got many friends, creates an intimate bound with his dog. Dog, is not only his most sincere friend but also his eyes towards the adult’s world. Young adults, tend to create bounds or seek for leaders, in order to discover their life with anybody that is not an adult.
Teenagers tend to make decisions just for the sake of being against the whole world. In “The Emissary”, Martin knows that he is not allowed to open the door no matter what is going on outside, however he disobeys his mother’s order just to believe in what, he deeply knows, is an impossible because his friend is dead. When Martin opens the door, he realizes that the dog isn’t his dearest pet anymore but it is too late. Adolescents tend to create an ideal world in their minds. As the main character of the story does, they realize that they can’t turn back the time and fix the problem they have already created.
In the story the idea of death is portrayed in a funny way, when Martin’s teacher, Miss Haight dies in an abrupt manner. The boy asks his mother how is to be dead and what do people do when they die. In the end, Dog comes to take his owner with him, in order to clarify his doubts, tough Martin does not want to find out the answers to the questions he asked to her mother. Teenagers demand to know the answers to all the questions they make to adults, however most of the time they are not ready to accept the truth that grown up people offers to them.
Zombies arrived to our books to stay. Adolescents are their reason to stick to our world. “The Emissary” fulfils all the expectations of young adult literature. Is a short story that teaches adolescents to be very careful with the kind of answers they want to get from adults.
Dear Marie, first of all I would like to thank you for lending me Ray Bradbury's story. It was a really nice attitude from you. Secondly, I would like to comment on your essay. I think that your work is really clear, but I think you took one thing for granted: young adult literature. Being YAL your focus, you mentioned it in the last paragraph! Maybe if you had made it clear from the beginning, your thesis would sound stronger, and your argumentative points would stand firmer. Anyway, it is a nice piece of writing, and I liked the story. Well done, Marie!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure you understood the story completely. Dog is not a zombie, and Martin doesn't go and unlock the door for Dog. Dog never died, he actually went to the graveyard to fetch Ms Haight for his owner. It is assumed that Ms Haight, as a sort of quasi zombie, opens the door for Dog. And when Dog comes running up the stairs to Martin's room, Martin shortly after hears slow thumping footsteps. Dog is still on the bed with Martin at this point, and since we know that Dog had dug someone up from the cemetery, we can conclude that it is Ms Naight coming up the stairs. Slowly, considering she's meant to be dead, possibly a zombie. So - Dog is not the zombie, Ms Naight is.
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