World War Z: An Optimistic Zombie Narrative

Given the amount of blood shed in the first 100 pages of Max Brooks' novel World War Z, it might be hard to think of the novel as an optimistic work. Though African Rabies spreads, the dead rise, and quite a few people lose their lives, World War Z comes across as a more hopeful tale than other works, like Romero's films (excepting Land of the Dead) primarily because of its form.

Romero's early films tend to end on down notes. Ben is killed by a posse of the living after being mistaken for a zombie in Night of the Living Dead. The original ending of Dawn of the Dead was not much better. The film originally ended with Fran and Peter committing suicide and the helicopter powering down as it ran out of fuel (At least according to Wikipedia), though this ending was changed to a somewhat ambiguous escape by the time the film was released. Even the update of Dawn of the Dead ends pessimistically. The survivors escape via boat only to arrive at a zombie infested island and an uncertain fate.

What differentiates World War Z from these works is that it is written from the perspective of survivors. Brooks' narrator as well as each of the people he “interviews” in the context of the stories are speaking from a time after the Zombie War, when some semblance of normalcy has returned to society. No matter how gruesome, each person telling a story is telling a story of their own triumph over the zombie menace. This lack of an inevitable doom for the story's survivors lends the film a different tone than Romero's work.

Where Romero seemed to be preaching about fundamental flaws in our culture through the gospel of the dead, predicted the fall of our consumer empire and the end of days, Brooks' message seems to be somewhat lighter. While there is no shortage of social commentary in the novel (governmental organisation, the military, and celebrity culture all receive their share of scrutiny) it seems to be pointing out faults that can be corrected rather than the crumbling foundation of a sinful society. While it may be quite dark, there is hope to be found in World War Z, and I think it is a stronger novel for it.