One of the major themes is survival when you are absolutely and permanently
cut off from the outside world. "The Day"s when a small town
can survive on its own are long past. Pat Frank causes his readers to
consider what their life would be like if all essential services (electricity,
clean water, communication, medical care, food, law enforcement, etc.)
were suddenly and permanently eliminated. How does a society dependent
on technology (and we are more dependent today on technology than we were
in the 1950s) survive when the only technology left is low-tech? What
becomes of society and the people in it when, within minutes, the clock
is turned back to the Middle Ages?
Another major theme is one of personal redemption and rediscovery. The
novel tells us that sometimes we lose sight of what really matters in
life until a tragedy forces us to reexamine our values and rediscover
what matters most.
A minor theme is the problems that arise when power is placed in the
wrong hands. Ensign Cobb tried to use the power of his fighter plane and
his own ego to overcome being short (thus the nickname, Peewee). Rather
than use the power literally at his fingertips judiciously, he sets out
to show everyone that he is not a Peewee and ends up starting a nuclear
war. Fort Repose's Civil Defense director is, at least officially, responsible
for the well-being of his town after "The Day". But he is only
a figurehead and soon abdicates his responsibilities. After all, he only
wanted the title, not the job. Consequently, crime and disorder fill the
power vacuum he leaves behind. However, in difficult times, power sometimes
finds its way into good hands. Randy Bragg soon fills the role and uses
his power judiciously. As a result, Fort Repose develops a degree of peace
and stability, about as much as can be expected given the situation.
The mood of the novel starts off depressing but gradually rises to end on a hopeful note. The news of world events creates a feeling of nervousness and edginess in the people of Fort Repose, although there is nothing they can do about it. After Ensign Cobb launches his missiles and inadvertently destroys a Soviet naval facility, there is a sense of inevitability - war will come. The bombing of "The Day" is ALMOST a relief - the waiting, at least, is over.
Now the long climb back begins. As the community begins to coalesce
and find ways to survive, the mood rises. The mood again becomes one of
nervous waiting with the incident of the highwaymen. This, unlike the
Soviet bombs, is something they can do something about. Afterward, the
mood rises again to end on a hopeful note - the nation, though gravely
wounded, has survived and will somehow rebuild. Like the phoenix, western
civilization has been consumed in a fire of its own making; like the phoenix,
it will be reborn from the ashes.
Although Alas, Babylon (published in 1959) is frequently on high school and college reading lists, there is actually very little biographical information available on Pat Frank. Pat Frank was the pseudonym used by Harry Hart (1907-1964), an American writer, journalist, and government consultant, although he is primarily known for his novel Alas, Babylon. He began as a journalist, writing for several newspapers and government agencies. When he began his career as a novelist, he used his journalistic experience covering government and military bureaucracies in his writing. After the success of Alas, Babylon, he put his beliefs to use advising government agencies and writing magazine articles on the threat of nuclear proliferation and nuclear annihilation.
He is also the author of Mr. Adam and Forbidden Area. Mr. Adam is the novel about an accident at a nuclear power plant that leaves every man in the U.S. sterilized except one. The actions of this sole survivor are a satire of American culture and politics. Forbidden Area is a novel that deals with U.S. governmental and bureaucratic incompetence in the face of an imminent Soviet attack. He also wrote How to Survive the H-Bomb, and Why, a book of advice for surviving a nuclear war.
In the 1960s, Pat Frank was a member of the Democratic National Committee.
Pat Frank received the American Heritage Foundation Award in 1961. During
the Cuban Missile Crisis, Hart's vision of nuclear conflict almost became
a reality.
This is a novel of the Cold War. Readers born since the mid-1980s will see Russia as a relatively friendly nation, sometimes unpredictable, but an ally nonetheless.
Today's younger readers do not remember the Cold War and the fear it often provoked. Americans no longer worry about nuclear war with an equally matched superpower supposedly intent on destroying the United States. We no longer teach schoolchildren what to do in the event of a nuclear attack or show the then-famous Duck and Cover films. But, the world of Pat Frank, with a well-armed and belligerent Soviet Union, once existed, and the world came close to a scenario similar to Alas, Babylon on more than one occasion.
With the United States and western Europe focused on the Cold War and preparing for a real war with the Soviets and their allies, post-apocalyptic novels such as Alas, Babylon were common and popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Many were made into movies or inspired films ("The Day After", etc.). The overall themes of these novels and movies pointed out that no one wins a nuclear war.
When Mikhail Gorbachev became President of the Soviet Union, and Ronald Reagan became President of the U.S. in the 1980s, U.S.-Soviet relations slowly warmed and the popularity of post-apocalyptic novels and movies declined as political tensions eased. The ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 essentially ended the era of novels like Alas, Babylon, although other threats remain.
This genre of novels and movies did, however, serve a purpose - they pointed out that nuclear war was un-winnable and that a nuclear war's impact on the environment and the survivors would be devastating to all.
When Pat Frank wrote Alas, Babylon, neither the Soviets nor the Americans had perfected long-range intercontinental missiles. The attacks on U.S. cities in the novel are from long-range bombers and from submarine-launched missiles. Within a decade, both nations would have operational long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM's) capable of delivering incredibly powerful nuclear weapons with multiple and separately targeted warheads to anywhere in the world within 30 minutes of launch..
In Alas, Babylon, the characters never see a Soviet soldier, but their presence nearby in submarines and on planes is felt. Had the novel been written a decade later, the bombs would have been delivered by missiles launched by a faceless enemy facing an equally faceless counterattack. War has today become clean and surgical, but the effects on the are more devastating.
Many readers may think that since the Cold War is over, the novel is out of
date. Unfortunately, the evening news programs show that this is not the
case. While the threat of global thermonuclear war no longer hangs over
our heads as strongly as it did until the late 1980s, other threats exist
that can shatter civilization just as completely as nuclear war. Take
Alas, Babylon, then change the form of the attack
to something else, and you get the same results.
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on A Long Way Gone".
TheBestNotes.com.
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