Reference no: EM133683290

The zombies in many films and stories are not the primary concern to audiences. They are secondary in importance; the survivors are primary. We are undoubtedly repulsed by/drawn to zombies, but more often than not, we are more interested in the plight of the survivors: Rick, Glenn, Michonne, and Daryl in TWD have an enormous following; the zombies do not.

Part 1

"The Wind Cries Mary" follows a husband who watches each night at the same time as his dead wife shambles up to the front door and tries to get inside. With probing questions, he wonders if she misses him, if she has the ability to think, or if she remembers anything. These probing questions emanate from his deepest pain and the guilt he feels over her terrible death and reanimation.

There's a powerful scene in the opening episode to season 1 of The Walking Dead (TWD) that illustrates in some way the agony that he feels.

Part 2

There are a number of distinctly human themes that the author explores in this very short story. Notice that the emphasis isn't so much on the zombie or the zombification process? The story is about human feelings and experiences. In other words, the zombies are always secondary; the human survivors and the state of their predicament is primary. This new, apocalyptic world, for example, brings about what the narrator calls, "Two kinds of dead-my kind and Mary's kind." As a result, the new world setting and its chaos create new ways of experiencing the world, both good and bad. For instance, the narrator's love for his wife transcends, or rises above, the horrific atmosphere.

There are questions here, too, about the narrator's moral choices, such as difficult decisions he could not or chose not to make. Again, it's a new world that forces the characters to participate in events that they have never before had to experience. Some characters will rise above and others will fall short. Some will be transformed in positive ways, others will become more cold and cruel.

TWD scene with Morgan above and the story's narrator reveal something about their mental states. What? Be specific and illustrate using the story.

Would you conclude that the narrator is a coward? Morgan too? Explain. Avoid generalizing, please.