Post Apocalyptic Literary Analysis

What does it mean for the world to end? Is it the destruction of man's monuments and enterprises? Or is it the complete obliteration of humanity, morality, and charity that marks the last breath of mankind? Post-apocalyptic literature is paradoxical, as it grounds itself in an event so catastrophic, so destabilizing, that mankind should not physically survive; yet, against all odds, it does. It is from this paradox which makes the genre so interesting, for in the process of crippling mankind, it clears away all restrictions and social constructions holding mankind from a completely natural state which it's true affinity can be examined. In such, post-apocalyptic literature creates a reflection of mankind and society of today's world, suggesting
In the article, “Trauma and Memory” by Denis A. Foster, the idea which ‘meanings depends on the structural considerations that are apart of past human culture’ is introduced when analyzing James Berger's work After the End. This idea proposes that past social structure and culture provides meaning to post traumatic events, therefore symbols from the past provide the surviving populous meaning and direction in life. With this mindset brought by Foster, one can analyze the symbols in apocalyptic literature to gain insight on the natural state of man, such as in The Postman, which is rich in symbolism. In the Postman, the most prevalent and outstanding symbol in the book is the postman uniform, for it symbolizes hope in the resurrection of government, society, and order in a chaotic wasteland. The meaning of this symbol and its effect on the people of the genre represents man’s instinct to create and adhere to a structure of government that promotes moral and ethical codes. This acceptance of morality over liberty is representative as man being altruistic, for they are willing to sacrifice their absolute liberty to create a system that promotes morality for them and future generations. This altruistic ideal is also represented by “the fire” in Cormac McCarthy’s, The Road, as “the fire” represents the good nature of man. In the novel, the father tells his son that ‘the fire is within him and has always been with him’(279), meaning that the goodness of man- morality, ethics, and humility- were always with him and that it was his duty in life to carry it forward. This is a symbolic altruistic act, as the father wills the son to carry the fire onward rather than to die along with him, showing that the act of carrying on this fire- preserving morality in man- is something that's more important than just them as people, as it