Character Quotes:

“But it was Penny’s safety that had ultimately convinced Philip to fly the coop. It was because of Penny he had enlisted the help of his old high school buddies; and it was because of Penny he had set out for Atlanta, where, according to the news, refugee centers were being set up. It was all because of Penny. Penny is all that Philip Blake has left. She is the only thing keeping him going-the only salve on his wounded soul.” (Page 11)

The paragraph describes Philip’s important relationship with his daughter Penny. Philip shares a very strong bond of love with Penny and will stop at nothing to protect her from any danger presented in this disastrous setting; for she is ‘all that Philip Blake has left’.

“Streetlights shine through the cracks in the fence, the moving shadows breaking the beams at irregular intervals, making the light strobe, making Philip crazy. He hears the silent voice in his head- the same voice that had made itself known after Sarah had died: ‘Burn the place down, burn the whole fucking world down’.” (Page 48)

This paragraph illuminates a great expanse of Philip’s dark past. It seems as though ever since the death of Sarah, who might have been his wife or another dearly loved relative, Philip has been bottling a great surge of anger within him.  This is the first sign in the novel that reveals the internal conflict within the depths of Philip’s mind.

Character License Plate:

This license plate is for Philip’s daughter Penny. The word “away” is a code word used between Penny and her uncle Brian. In many situations in which their group encounters zombies, he says the word as a signal for Penny to close her eyes and cover her ears. In the initial establishment of the “secret code word”, Brian said to her, “Whenever I give you the secret code, I want you to remember that there’s gonna come a day when you won’t have to hide your eyes anymore. There’s gonna come a day when everything’s all better, and there won’t be any more sick people. Got that?”

Brian asks her to pick the word of her choice, and “for the first time since the plague had begun, a glimmer of hope kindles in her enormous eyes”. 

“The secret code word’s gonna be away,” she concludes with a joyfully.

Setting

“They chose the big Colonial at the bottom of Green Briar Lane because it seemed far away from the golf course to avoid the attentions of the swarm.” (Page 19)

This quote briefly describes where the main characters picked to take shelter from the deadly disaster that takes place in the story. This colonial house is found in a suburban area nearby a golf course packed with walking corpses.

 

“It’s another blustery, overcast day, and the sounds of the zombie horde carry up across the sky and over the tops of the houses. It drives Philip nuts as he sweats in his denims, heaving dirt on the grave. The oily, black, rotten-meat odor is as strong as ever.” (Page 50)

In comparison to how it was illustrated in the first quote, the setting has seemed to become much more dangerous. The walking corpses have crowded closer to the colonial house that the group of survivors are sheltering in. The protagonist, Philip, is enduring a heavy state of discomfort and stress from the dangerous changes to the setting.

Symbols affecting the setting:

Radio/TV stations: Philip’s best friend Nick monitors the radio while the surviving characters take shelter in the colonial house. The stations he finds only broadcast repeated automated announcements, ordering all people to remain calm as government procedures are in progress. This gives the main characters a strong impression as to how this mysterious epidemic is affecting and damaging the outside world. Also, references in the text to ‘Central Standard Time’ news and ‘Fox 5 News’ suggest that the setting takes place either in or near modern times.

Brian’s blackberry: Not only does Brian’s phone often lose signal, but when it does work, it is full of “blind emails and Facebook tags and anonymous tweets with cryptic messages”. These messages include: “…AND THE KINGDOM WILL BE IN DARKNESS… IT’S THE BIRDS FALLING FROM THE SKY, THAT’S WHAT STARTED IT… BURN IT ALL DOWN BURN IT ALL DOWN…”. The utter creepiness of these online posts alone add so much to the manner of the setting.

In the first few chapters, the colonial home in which the main characters picked to take shelter in symbolizes their temporary haven, or the barrier that separates them from the wandering zombies outside.

Philip shows a disliking towards the former occupants of the house; a rich family of seven that got killed off by the virus. Philip illuminates his cold opinions of them after coming upon their dog house. The doghouse is described to have a little shingle roof and the words ‘Laddie Boy’ mounted above the opening at one end. In response to seeing this, Philip thinks to himself, ‘These rich people and their fucking dogs. Probably fed that thing better than most kids.’ Merely coming across the doghouse exposed more of Philip’s unique thought processes.

'O' Response:

What are Hugo's motives? Why does he manipulate the other characters?

The source of Hugo's motives comes from his desire for love and attention from his father. A dark and twisted jealousy grew within him when his father began treating Odin like family and favoring him with pride. Hugo began manipulating other characters to bring them down to make him look good, particularly in front of his father.

Why is Odin vulnerable to Hugo's manipulations?

There are two factors that conclude as to why Odin is so vulnerable to Hugo's manipulations. Hugo is initially trusted by all the characters, and particularly Odis. Secondly, manipulation just happens to be Hugo's prime element. It is what he excels at the most throughout the play and movie, and he uses it to his advantage in attempts to crush Odis.