Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Book Review

Emily St. John Mandel’s postapocalyptic novel, Station Eleven, centers around the importance of art in a dystopian world. One of the characters the novel focuses on is Kirsten Raymonde, a member of the travelling symphony. The symphony is a vessel of art prevalent in the narrative. This art form is crucial to the essence of the novel, it proves that even through the decimation of civilization, art survives. The symphony acts as a uniting force in an otherwise ruthless world. A quote present on the travelling symphony’s caravan and tattooed on Kirsten’s arm indicates that merely surviving is not enough, to truly live humans require creativity and imagination. The relevance of art in St. John Mandel’s postapocalyptic world represents how intertwined art and humanity are, the uniting force of art, as well as how it perpetuates humanity in a survivalist world. 

The Georgian flu devasted the world, infecting the majority of the population and leaving the survivors without electricity, gasoline, or running water. The population that managed to survive the disease were left to endure the ruthless conditions. Despite wiping out ninety-nine-point nine percent of the population, the disease couldn’t take art from the survivors. Kirsten thinks about, “What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but still there is such beauty” (57). This quote reveals that despite all of the destruction that occurred, art managed to persevere. In a savage world destroyed by disease, art is the safe haven. Art is so closely tied to humanity, so that as long as there is humanity there will also be art.

The travelling symphony performed plays and music as they travelled between different settlements. The symphony provided a variety of productions, but it shocked the actors that, “the audiences seemed to prefer Shakespeare to their other theatrical offerings” (38). This response suggests that people preferred Shakespeare’s plays because it allowed them to connect with their past life. Shakespeare’s plays are a universal reminder of life before the pandemic because of their well-known status. In a world where nearly everything was lost, Shakespeare’s plays survived because of the symphony. This familiarity of the past is what brings people together in difficult times. Dieter explains, “People want what was best about the world” (38). Dieter understands that their audience wants to feel a connection to the art. When he refers to what was best about the world, this is alluding to art and how large of an impact it had on the world before and after the collapse. As long as there are people to create and share art, it will be an important part of life. Art is an unlikely element to survive the collapse of society, but it did, and it demonstrates how integral art is to life. 

Despite the bleak reality, Station Eleven demonstrates the unifying properties art has in a hopeless, collapsed society. The travelling symphony acts as a uniting force, in a time where no one trusts anyone, the symphony managed to bring people together through art. The world in which Station Eleven takes place is ruthless and feral. Kirsten and the symphony understood that the towns they travelled to “…didn’t go out of their way to welcome outsiders” (48). This quote suggests that without the symphony’s art they would not be welcome in these towns. The plays and music are what allows the symphony to interact with a number of different people. With 99.9% of the world’s population eradicated, and the survivors at war with each other, art is the uniting factor. Furthermore, the symphony itself has brought together a group of creative individuals. The members of the symphony are able to connect with others who share their love of art. The has allowed it’s members to form a family united by their passion.

The quote tattooed on Kirsten’s arm and donned on the side of the caravan reads, “Survival is insufficient” (). This motto reveals the travelling symphony’s motivation, to bring art to a survivalist world. Ultimately the quote suggests that a life of merely surviving is not fulfilling. Creativity and personality are what allow individuals to be unique. Consequently, without these differences humans would be hollow shells simply trying to stay alive. Art is what allows people to leave a mark on the world after they have passed on. Art tethers humans to humanity, it reminds them that to truly live they must do more than only survive. Kirsten has this quote tattooed on her arm as a reminder that humans require something other than survival to be human. Kirsten understands in this setting sometimes you have to fight to survive. However, her tattoo demonstrates that she still has hope for humanity. 

In the face of a collapsed society, Station Eleven presents, the connection between art and humanity, the unifying properties of art, and its ability to give life meaning. Art survived when billions of people died, proving as long as humans exist to share art, it will prevail. The travelling symphony uses plays and music to unite people in a postapocalyptic setting. In a world so ruthless art is the unifying factor. The quote, “Survival is insufficient” present in Kirsten’s tattoo and on the side of the symphony’s caravan establishes an important theme of the novel: Humans require art to truly live opposed to merely surviving. Art truly perpetuates humanity because humans require more than survival to live.