by Renée Fredes and P. De La LLera
The young adult short story A Zombie’s Lament (S.G.Browne) shows an umbrella of feelings through zombie’s words:
After a while, I get bored, like a dog left alone in the house who starts chewing on things in frustration-shoes, couches, pillows. And like a dog, I'm starting to feel anxious and frustrated. Except I don't think I'm going to be satisfied with chewing on pillows.
Young adult literature can be “anything that readers between the approximate ages of twelve and twenty choose to read” (Donelson and Nilsen , 1989). In this type of literature the author has to take into account the characteristics of the readers, such as the adjustment of their new bodies, the developing of new interests and the identification with a group of friends.
As Hertz and Gallo says, Young Adult literature “deals with many universal themes, including the eternal questions Who am I? and Where do I fit in?. Some of the themes are: alienation for one’s society or group; survival or meeting a challenge and dealing with death”. Adolescents like to experience new emotions through the story they read.
American author S.G. Browne has written A Zombie’s Lament. This story deals with the problems that a zombie has to face when he comes to life again after being dead in a car accident. His body has suffered several transformations so he realizes that he does not belong to any kind of group in society. This hurt zombie feels the disapproval of society that leads him to loneliness with no chance for happiness.
This paper compares the character’s and the adolescent’s feelings. It also demonstrates how A Zombie’s Lament can be used from the point of view of Young adult literature in the classroom.
This short fiction shows feelings which are of particular interest to adolescents because teens can see themselves reflected on the story. Feelings are part of human beings. The different stages that everyone has in life, involve feelings that place an important role. During adolescence, “physical changes often make young teens uncomfortable in their bodies” (Koelling, 2004) and this provokes frustration feelings.
In the story A Zombie’s Lament, the zombie character feels different from people who are alive. His body is different due to the transformations suffered and this situation provokes on him frustration. The following quotation shows what had happened to the zombie when he saw his own reflection at a window:
Then I passed Bill’s groceries and caught a glimpse of myself in the front window. As I stood and stared at may reflection a six-year-old girl who walked out the door dropped her frozen fudge bar when she saw me and ran off screaming.
It took me a while to come to terms with what had happen to me. What I was. I still have trouble with it. It’s a big adjustment, harder than you might imagine.
Sometimes adolescents feel as if they were different from the rest of the people because their bodies are changing. For example in the case of the boys, facial hair begins to grow and the voice changes. Girls also have an important physical growth because they are developing into young women. In the story the character suffers many physical changes and this situation causes him frustration as if happens with adolescents when they are growing.
Adolescents tend to compare their physical and emotional changes with their peers (Koelling, 2004). This comparison helps them not to feel alone when they are going through these changes. Having a group of friends is important for boys and girls because it functions as a support. In the group they can share the interests and feelings that they have in common.
In the story A Zombie´s Lament, the character has no friends because he is a zombie and he is not admitted in the places he used to go when he was alive. As he gets bored, he compares himself with a dog left alone and questions his new life constantly. The following example shows when he decides to join a new group of peers and the says,
I‘ve joined a support group the local chapter UA-Undead anonymous…It’s supposed to make us feel better about ourselves, less estranged from society.
During adolescence, the sense of belonging arises so teens need to look for a group of friends as it happens to the zombie in the story.
A Zombie’s Lament can be used in the English classroom as a vehicle for learning new vocabulary through descriptions and involving the students in the storyline through the character´s emotions (De Vos, 2003).
The zombie character experiences fear in the cemetery at night as it happens to the breathers or people who are alive. This example shows what the zombie thinks about going to the cemetery:
I understand why Breathers don’t want the undead at the cemetery during the day, but I don’t like having to go there at night. It’s so dark and creepy. And there are sounds, things I hear that don´t seem natural. I know I’m supposed to be the one everyone’s afraid of, but I still get scared. Especially at night.
Throughout this story, the adolescents can be engaged in the English classroom and they can learn new vocabulary in an enjoyable way because adolescents have to face the same fears that the character has.
This work demonstrates that in the short story A Zombie’s Lament, the zombie character and adolescents have many feelings in common. For example, frustration and the sense of belonging are reflected through the character´s experience. This reflection provokes on teens the interest on reading this story. A Zombie’s Lament is an interesting story to engage students in the classroom and it can be helpful for teachers. Students can learn new vocabulary while they enjoy reading this short story that involves many feelings which are interesting for them.
REFERENCES
- Browne, S.G. (2009) “A Zombie’s Lament”. United States, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
- De Vos, Gail (2003) “Storytelling for Young Adults. A Guide to Tales for Teens”. Westport, CT, Libraries Unlimited.
- Koelling, Holly (2004) “Classic Connections: Turning Teens on the Great Literature”. Westport, CT, Libraries Unlimited.
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