Craving for a taste

by Aldana Pires
                                                               
Being used to watch or read about zombies craving for brains and living-human meat, one is inevitably taken aback by Eat me, a shocking short story written by Robert Mccammon. Nostalgia, loneliness, zombie-like love and sexual desire are explored by Jim, the main character. When reading this intense story, one can feel empathy for the living dead, and also a sense of familiarity with his experiences. Metaphorically, the story is a portrayal of teenage undergoings, and therefore, it fits the profile of young adult literature.

Robert C. Small Jr. has stated a list of characteristics that are unique to Young Adult novels. The one stating that the main character is a teenager clearly does not correspond with our story; Jim is an adult who has been turned into a zombie and misses his old normal life.  Nevertheless, the feelings and situations the restless dead faces bear metaphorical similarities to those which are dealt by actual adolescents.  Just like a young man mourns for the body he used to have during his childhood (as stated by Argentinian psychoanalyst Arminda Aberastury), our dead misses his living anatomy and despises his current lean and rotten flesh. Furthermore, Jim also craves his previous normal life; in this sense, he resembles the fact that youngsters miss their unconcerned and playful childhood years likewise.

Revolving around a grieving atmosphere, the living corpse roams down the streets feeling he does not belong to the new dead world. Everything that used to rule and order his life is now pointless; he lacks aim, excitement and pleasure. He craves for the things he used to enjoy: the good smell of perfumes, the beauty of flowers, the shining of women’s hair, and love. He searches as he walks into places he has never walked before, and finally ends up in a bar where many dead dance to the sound of music. There, the loud beatings silence his sorrowful brainwork. Isn’t this constant searching for one’s self, the sense of feeling lost, and the escaping of thoughts what adolescents go through either? Herz and Gallo numbered a variety of situational archetypes which are recurrent in young adult literature. Among them, the search for self is relevant for this story. Teenagers are at a stage in life where they must develop their identity. And for his part, Jim wanders restlessly trying to find himself within the zombie chaos.

More significantly, Jim’s yearning for vivid sensations is what ultimately leads him to the turning point where he meets Brenda, a zombie girl. Coinciding with Small’s characteristics, his actions are major factors in the outcome of his internal conflict. When he nervously approaches Brenda, he does not even remotely imagine what will later happen between them; but undoubtedly, he has found someone to explore zombie passion and sensations with. In addition, all about their encounter is closely analogous to teenagers having their first sexual and love experiences with a desired other.

Having a changing a body, searching for oneself, escaping troubling thoughts, approaching somebody in order to experience body pleasures and find love are all situations around which teens’ life revolve. Without doubt, the short story is an appealing and metaphorical depiction of juvenile people. For all the stated, and for its unexpected and exciting outcome, Eat me perfectly fits in any young adult literature compilation.