Conflict in Z for Zachariah by Robert C O’Brien Essay Example

Conflict is a memorable idea in the novel Z for Zachariah, by Robert C O’Brien. This can be seen in many ways from man vs self to man vs man and even man vs nature. Man vs self can be seen throughout the novel in a wide range of ways since the novel has been curated to be as if Ann was writing in a diary. We can see her distress as she decides what to do about living in the valley with Mr Loomis after he becomes possessive and controlling. The theme, of man vs man, can be observed in the novel in ways such as Mr Loomis attempting to rape Ann, and also when Mr Loomis uses Faro to track Ann and hunt her down. Man vs nature is quite a significant idea in the text because of the radiation that surrounds the valley and possibly everywhere else in the world. I am proving in this essay that we study and read about conflict because it is a very real thing that happens in everyday life and this novel taught me many things about it and even some ways that it can be dealt with in certain situations such as leaving a toxic environment like Ann herself did.

The idea of man vs self was a memorable idea to me, the reason for this being that  Ann frequently fought private battles in her mind. She fought with herself over what she thought was best to do and what she desired to do. Her internal struggles accompanied things such as leaving Mr Loomis, killing Faro, praying at the church when Loomis was ill,  and abandoning him and the valley altogether. This inner conflict created many emotions, especially suspension and fear while reading the novel and it left me thinking about what was going to happen next, trying to decipher Ann’s decisions. This is exactly what the author would have been aiming for and he executed it with meticulous care. These examples depict that everybody suffers from internal conflict and they show that we are not alone. Everybody battles with themselves about decision-making.

The idea of conflict depicted through man vs man has a high amount of influence on the novel’s storyline. The cause of this is that there are many points in the text where Ann has to run from Loomis and even some cases where she has to fight him. A prime example of this is when “Mr Loomis shot me” and Ann had to go on the run for several days just to get away from him. Ann became feverish and sick as a consequence of not being able to care for her gunshot wound due to Mr Loomis. She suspected that being ill had caused him to go crazy and do horrible things. Robert C O'Brien did an immaculate job portraying the idea of man vs man through Ann's eyes and the effect of his writing made me feel and even think about everything Ann was feeling and thinking in those confrontations between Loomis and herself. The author used many techniques to create these thoughts and feelings such as descriptive words and metaphors. The purpose of this was to teach the audience about man vs man conflict and how to recognise it. At first, Ann probably didn’t realise that Loomis was becoming controlling and possessive, but when she did finally come to the realisation, she did what she needed to do to put herself first. And I think this example shows in such situations, sometimes you need to put yourself first no matter what. 

Lastly, the idea of conflict, shown through man vs nature could quite possibly be considered the most memorable idea in the text. This is because it is pretty much the whole reason Ann and Loomis are suspected to be the only two people left alive and confined to the valley. Another reason man vs nature is significant is that at the beginning of the book, Ann lived in a constant fear that “someone is coming” every day, she would look to the sky and see a plume of smoke. Her mind would race to overthink the many possibilities of what it was and what would happen when it reached the valley. With Loomis, he was constantly moving, never at rest in a single place because the whole world was riddled with radioactive material. This is a good depiction of man vs nature because Loomis was running, hoping the radiation wouldn’t catch up to him before he found somewhere safe to hide. Even when he had found the valley, both he and Ann had to constantly walk on their toes, because it was as if it was "the beginning of the end". This is why man vs nature is the most memorable idea in the book. The characters always had to watch their backs and if they didn’t, nature would come and “bite them in the bum” This teaches us that small actions can have big consequences and also that everything you do will have an effect on everyone else, whether that consequence is enormous or small. Somebody decided to bomb the world with radioactive material, and the consequence was that millions of people died, and the ones that are left are constantly fighting for survival. Another thing this shows me is that everything comes with a price. Everything has a ripple effect on something or someone else, such as what is happening with Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine is suffering by losing people, houses and buildings. Russia is suffering because many countries are boycotting them, refusing to sell products in Russia, and buy Russian goods.

In conclusion, the novel Z for Zachariah by Robert C O’Brien the idea of conflict was memorable to me because of the lessons it taught regarding everyday life. I was taught that everything comes with a price, that when push comes to shove sometimes you need to put yourself first; as Ann did when she left the valley,  and that everybody suffers from internal conflict. I learned many more valuable lessons throughout the book, and that is what makes these ideas of conflict so memorable. This book was not only an amazing read but it was filled with life lessons and it taught me a lot about human nature, of which conflict is a natural part of both internal and external human life.