This idea of living in the moment is a concept that is widely debated. Many believe that living in the moment provides only benefits as you tend to cherish the moments that you experience, whereas those who disagree with it believe more in planning their day and to always keep moving. The book Station Eleven by Emily St.John Mandel provides its own unique view on the entire situation from an aspect that has never or extremely rarely been discussed. Station Eleven takes place after a global pandemic called the Georgia flu leaves the entire world destroyed, killing most of the population. Through this apocalypse a small group called the Traveling Symphony is created with the intention of keeping plays and music from humanity's past such as
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Kirsten was only a young child before the Georgia Flu struck and remembers very little about her past life. One of the few things Kirsten continues to do from her past though is act. Kirsten demonstrates how she lives for more than just survival while she is acting out the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The book reads “She never feels more alive than at these moments. When onstage she fears nothing”(Mandel 57). Acting, just like feeling remorse for the dead, won’t guarantee your safety in a hostile environment, yet it is ironically the time Kirsten feels the safest. Through acting Kirsten is demonstrating how she tries to relive her past life, by performing plays just like she did before the apocalypse as a young child in New York. These plays provide her a much appreciated glimpse of the past and are the reason Kirsten continues to stay with the Symphony. By replicating parts of her former life, Kirsten shows how the motto of survival is insufficient indicates the Traveling Symphony’s goals of remembering the past and eventually returning the world to the state it used to be …show more content…
These tattoos mean a lot to Kirsten, yet it isn’t until later in the book when the reader is explained as to just exactly what they represent. It comes to light that Kirsten has attained these tattoos to represent the two people she has killed during the apocalypse and that she wants to avoid receiving another ever again if possible. After reminiscing about the two people she killed with the Symphony Kirsten says “She hoped there would never be a third”(Mandel 296). In the civilized society we live in, commiting murder is completely unacceptable and a serious violation of the laws. Kirsten still feels this way about killing another human, yet at the same time she knows that in her life killing in self defense may be necessary. By getting the two permanent tattoos Kirsten proves she realizes that killing is still wrong, even when necessary, and that she wants to always be reminded of the actions she has committed. This relates to the Symphonies motto as it shows he Kirsten wants to keep certain civil ideas, such as murder being wrong, in her life. These are ideas that do not necessarily apply to Kirstens situation and it would probably be easier if she didn’t avoid killing people that threatened her entire community, such as the prophet in the start of the
Kirsten was only a young child before the Georgia Flu struck and remembers very little about her past life. One of the few things Kirsten continues to do from her past though is act. Kirsten demonstrates how she lives for more than just survival while she is acting out the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The book reads “She never feels more alive than at these moments. When onstage she fears nothing”(Mandel 57). Acting, just like feeling remorse for the dead, won’t guarantee your safety in a hostile environment, yet it is ironically the time Kirsten feels the safest. Through acting Kirsten is demonstrating how she tries to relive her past life, by performing plays just like she did before the apocalypse as a young child in New York. These plays provide her a much appreciated glimpse of the past and are the reason Kirsten continues to stay with the Symphony. By replicating parts of her former life, Kirsten shows how the motto of survival is insufficient indicates the Traveling Symphony’s goals of remembering the past and eventually returning the world to the state it used to be …show more content…
These tattoos mean a lot to Kirsten, yet it isn’t until later in the book when the reader is explained as to just exactly what they represent. It comes to light that Kirsten has attained these tattoos to represent the two people she has killed during the apocalypse and that she wants to avoid receiving another ever again if possible. After reminiscing about the two people she killed with the Symphony Kirsten says “She hoped there would never be a third”(Mandel 296). In the civilized society we live in, commiting murder is completely unacceptable and a serious violation of the laws. Kirsten still feels this way about killing another human, yet at the same time she knows that in her life killing in self defense may be necessary. By getting the two permanent tattoos Kirsten proves she realizes that killing is still wrong, even when necessary, and that she wants to always be reminded of the actions she has committed. This relates to the Symphonies motto as it shows he Kirsten wants to keep certain civil ideas, such as murder being wrong, in her life. These are ideas that do not necessarily apply to Kirstens situation and it would probably be easier if she didn’t avoid killing people that threatened her entire community, such as the prophet in the start of the