Lifting the Veil

The journey through post-apocalyptic literature this semester has subjected us to alternate worlds characterized by apocalypses that have altered the state of reality for humankind. Societies have been rendered barren, adopted apathetic behavior, and forgotten or cast aside the nuances of language that originally served to bind humanity together; power in gender reversal has ripped worlds apart and pieced them back into place through suppression and indoctrination; religion and gods have been questioned and abstract concepts have taken form; meaning is placed on the altar of humanity and held as the highest standard. While the word "apocalypse" is generally associated with violence, destruction, and Christian theology, this class explored the transcendent aspect of apocalypse, the "lifting of the veil" towards a revelation that allows a release from previously held absolutes: the world must be this way because it always has been. Apocalypse severs the last connections to a former way of life and creates new bonds to constrain the participants, however unwilling. 

However, what is most surprising about each apocalyptic scenario is the power present in knowledge: in the case of Burdekin's novel The End of This Day's Business, Neil's personal apocalypse begins through knowledge of history and the revelation that men are not inferior beings; in Oryx and Crake, Snowman's apocalypse is linked to his slowly decaying knowledge of language and meaning; in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, Morpheus's world becomes more focused when he realizes that he is dependent on humanity, a servant to their whims, no matter how much power he is granted through being Lord of the Dream Realm. Apocalypse signals a revelation, and in the case of the scenarios listed before, each revelation is accompanied by power through knowledge and understanding.