No one considers life after the “end of the world,” but there always seem to be survivors. They have to survive while still remembering life before the apocalypse. What are the most important features of civilization to remember? In Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, they immortalize some of these objects in a makeshift museum. Some of the items featured are laptops, a telescope, and credit cards. For people born after the flu, they are useless, just a story, but for those who lived it, these objects hold deeper meaning. They symbolize a past life and may even give hope to some.
Does a credit card or laptop explain where we are in civilization? To me, money systems, technology, and entertainment are the height of our society. Our advancements would be important to me in preserving the memory of how we live today. If I had to pick physical objects for society as a whole, I would focus on technology, even if not working. It shows how much progress humans can make and would give goals for rebuilding. I also would want to restore as many physical pictures as possible. Photos are the best memories of events, and they also can’t lie. They show everything from food to fashion to art. Pictures of the past would give me clearer memories to retell.
Objects are important, but personal memories and stories are the other strongest way to maintain the old world. In Station Eleven, the older survivors remember so much from before the flu and can keep the memories alive for the future generation. A main character, Kirsten was young when the pandemic hit, so most of her memory is gone. She relies on others reports of the internet, airplanes, and even her own childhood to have an idea of life before the flu. These stories are going to be what the youth and future generations rebuild the world knowing. A laptop may never work again, but someone else could recreate a system like the internet.
What memories would you hope to keep in a post-apocalyptic world? What physical objects are the most important?