Lit Analysis #2

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

The Eleventh Plague is about the aftermath of a nuclear and biological war waged between two superpowers. Not only does the war affect the two nations involved it takes its toll on the rest of the world also. The main characters Stephen and his father, Jack, are scavengers in a wasteland America trying to survive. While out scavenging they come across an old bomber that had crashed and find some food inside. While there they encounter some bandits that try to kill the two. They escape the bandits but not danger when Jack falls down a gorge into a river severely injuring himself. Stephen saves his father and takes him to him safety of a cave where they are found by a guy who invites them to stay at a village to get medical help with Jack’s injuries. They end up staying in the village once Jack awakens from the coma.

I found that the theme for this book is that no matter what the circumstances are people will always want the help those in need. In the story another scavenger from Settler’s Landing offers to help Stephen and his dad with injuries and give them a place to stay. During Jack and Stephen’s stay in town the town’s folk offer to teach Stephen at the school that was founded in the town. In the end the people of Settler’s Landing offer to allow Stephen and Jack to stay with them.

The tone of the book is more of a positive outlook on even to worst of situations in life. Violet, the town doctor, treated both the wounded on her side and also the wounded enemies in the battlefield. Both groups found a way to put down their arms and to try for a better life by working together. They all had realized that this was the best solution for the future.

Stephen goes from a life of scrounging, wandering, and trading to try and survive alongside his father to bringing together two groups of enemies to build a better town and future for everyone. He is able to do that by drawing on the inspiration of taking a leap of faith to trust the people of Settler’s Landing when they offered to help him. This allowed him to see that there is a better way for people and he used that to convince them to stop fighting.

I would have to say that I had just met a real person due to the fact that he had grown as a person from only going by what his grandfather had always told him to completely contradicting what he had said to bring a bunch of people together who were going to kill each other off. He had become his own person and began to make his own decisions instead of what he thought his grandfather would have wanted him to do.