OpheliaPart 2 of 3

A group of vault-dwellers try to maintain a civil society

Attempts are ultimately futile Ophelia’s name given to her by her Father

Bill after Ophelia in Shakspeare’s Hamlet and he says “And she will never walk in the light” . Ironically Ophelia was also kept in darkness by those more powerful than her and never challenged her plight.

Ophelia – Part 2

The story changes from Sarah to Ophelia Similar ages, completely different ideas

about life Ophelia has a very limited worldly view – all

she knows is the vault First part very ‘gloomy’ “Sarah” – Survival, “Ophelia” – Social Order

A change in viewpoint

Communal vault Similar to set up in 1960s and beyond Enough food, water and fuel to remain

running for years Military and science dominated ‘No room’ for culture or free thought http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD0vV9

xrC14 http://www.terravivos.com/secure/

solution.htm

The Vault - Setting

Sterile, fake environment But all many know “She missed the feel of sunlight through

plastic, the smells of warmth and dampness and green things growing. She missed the blue of the sky and the grey-black deserts seen on the telescreens” pg. 79

A contrast between real and fake

The Vault - Setting

Not only are there no ‘experts’ on art or culture, there is nothing to learn from

“Without text books or writing materials he tried to teach them literature and history. With only computer pictures he tried to teach them art” pg. 74

A completely fake, unbalanced environment

The Vault - Setting

1 idea, 1 quote

The vault is run by the military, with an emphasis on getting things back to how they were. It is a place of unequal power

“Dinosaurs in a bunker… We may have survived but we haven’t adapted” – Dwight, pg. 112

The Vault - Setting

A small, dirty community where people are barely surviving

On the border of life and death The people are cold, hungry and miserable –

but alive The start of a new world

Johnson’s Community - Setting

Making a new life from nothing – setting up hives, crops, farms

Everyone shares everything – ensures everyone survives

Everyone equal? A sense of community set up

Johnson’s Community - Setting

People are not as ‘intelligent’ Able to survive better Early on, Johnson took all the necessary

books from a library Methods of learning:

◦ Vault – professionals and science◦ Community – books and community

Johnson’s Community - Setting

All the people are unhealthy, sick and mutated

Ophelia notes multiple times their ugliness “Breeding like animals, having no choice”

pg. 104 – is this different to Erica having a child with Bill out of duty?

They stink – primitive toilets and rats galore

Johnson’s Community - Setting

1 idea, 1 quote

The community, while ugly, is making steps towards survival. It recognizes that the only way to truly survive is to change. The vault ends up needing them.

“It’s the Liliths of this world who are going to survive… Not us” – Dwight, pg. 113

Johnson’s Community - Setting

Character

A kind-hearted, intelligent, sensible man Not wanted or needed in vault Not the kind of person responsible for war –

so why should he die? Wants the children to know more than vault

life – a realist? “They seemed to think… that they were the

chosen few” pg. 69 “A degree in English literature was useless

there, and so was he” pg. 67

Bill

Bill, being the only one from a ‘non-essential’ career, is assigned teacher duty

More to learning than science/order? “We need creative thinkers! …Not a legion

of automatons!” pg. 75 “If they don’t know about the past, they

have nothing to compare the future to” pg. 76

“What use is an architect who can’t make bricks?”

Bill – bumping heads

Travels with Bill and Dwight out of loyalty Does not agree with their viewpoints More in line with Erica Intelligent in terms of science, not so much

in ‘street smarts’. Very naïve Quick to judge others different to herself “In pity and revulsion Ophelia turned

away…” pg. 111

Ophelia

Like Sarah, we view life through the eyes of Ophelia for a very specific reason

She is young, naïve and lacks responsibility A product of her environment The bunker is all she knows At times can be seen as cold-hearted or

mean Acts as a lens through which we can see the

bunker’s viewpoint

The viewpoint of Ophelia

Has a child because ‘it is her duty’ Narrow viewpoint, science/technology is the

future A contrast between Erica and Bill Authoritarian/continuing the old

life/discipline and agreement vs. socialism/a brave new world/questioning and creativity

Are either correct, or a mixture? Are either ‘bad/good’?

Erica

The type who got them into this mess! ‘Right’ for him to survive? Armed forces vs. creative thinkers

General MacAllister

What makes someone intelligent? “With so many experts in the bunker they

did not lack tuition” pg. 78 All these intelligent people, yet no way of

preparing for the future

Intelligence