Earth Abides

This book was recommended to me by Soso. It was written by George R Stewart and first published in 1949. The date of publication plays an important part in my understanding of this novel.

I have a left-leaning view of the world. I tend to be more liberal than conservative in my views and beliefs. I am very accepting of people of all types. I begin my review with this statement so you will know my personal bias plays a significant role in my opinion of this book.

Warning—Spoilers Ahead

"Earth Abides" begins with our narrator, Ish, Isherwood Williams, being bitten by a rattlesnake while he is alone in the woods. Ish finds his way to a cabin and performs rudimentary first aid on his wound.

Despite his efforts, he feels the toxin of the snake's venom taking its toll on his body. Ish falls into a bed in the cabin and lands in a state of semi-consciousness for the next few days. As he is fading in and out, he hears a car approach and two men enter the cabin. He calls for them to help him, that he is sick, and they sprint to their car and flee.

In his weakened state, all Ish can do is struggle back to the bed and collapse. Time passes as our protagonist passes in and out of sleep while the snake venom inflicts its damage. After a few days, Ish begins to recover and makes his way from the cabin back to his car and down to the local country market.

There are no customers or employees in the store. The area is remote and sparsely populated. Ish reckons the owners must be away on a brief trip since custom has been slow. He takes a few items from the store and some gas from the pump and leaves his money on the counter with a note.

Ish heads back to his parents’ home in Berkeley, California. While driving back to Berkeley, he begins to notice a lack of traffic or pedestrians. Radio stations also don't seem to be working.

Ish returns to his family home to find it vacant. The entire city seems deserted. He finds newspapers that detail the outbreak of some great plague that was fast-spreading and nearly 100% fatal. After taking some time to absorb the new reality of life, Ish decides to perform a grid search of the area to locate more survivors, if there are any.

He is able to find a few scattered folks around the area, but none of them seem to be in a mental state to make suitable companions. This is when Ish figures his naturally distant and socially awkward lifestyle has been a benefit to him. People who needed to be around others have all gone mad with the loss of civilization. Some lost themselves in addiction; while others have grown hostile to any other human that might encroach on their belongings.

Ish decides to see if he can find any remaining people who are sane enough to form a community. His best bet is to travel across the United States to the East Coast and meet people along the way. He locates a new vehicle and sets off to drive cross-country.

Along the way he picks up a dog whom he names Princess. These two make it all the way to New York City, where they meet a charming couple living in a luxury apartment. The power grid has already failed here, and winter will be on the way soon.

Ish attempts to persuade the couple to return to the West Coast with him, where the winters aren't so harsh. They declined the invitation to join Ish and instead remained in New York.

Safely back in Berkeley, Ish looks out from his home one night after the power has also failed in California to see a light in a distant part of the city. He excitedly makes his way down to discover the source of the light.

He finds Emma, a woman a decade older than he and of African-American descent. The two quickly became enamored with one another and decide to do their part to repopulate the Earth. They move back into Ish's home and begin to grow their family.

As time passes, more people begin to arrive. First, there is Ezra, who comes with his two wives. Then George and Maurine arrive with a young woman named Evie who has some form of intellectual disability. This group of people forms the foundation of "The Tribe,” which will be the focus of the remaining story.

These people settle nicely into homes on San Lupo Drive. The Tribe grows and prospers.

One day, the people of San Lupo Drive awaken to find that no water will come from their taps. Investigation reveals their reservoir has emptied and isn't likely to function again. Ish decides the community must become more proactive and sends two of his sons out to repeat his cross-country trek. They are to learn what they can and see if more communities like theirs have formed in the intervening years.

Months pass, and the boys return with a new traveling companion; a man named Charlie. Charlie unsettles Ish, but Ish cannot pin down what makes him uneasy. Ezra escorts Charlie home after a night of indulgence, and Charlie boasts to him that he carries many of "Cupid's diseases". Charlie also shows a keen interest in Evie, who The Tribe has decided should remain single and pure.

The elders of The Tribe meet one evening to decide how to deal with Charlie and Evie. Ish states that the community would not be capable of rearing Evie's half-witted children. There is also the concern that Charlie will spread his infection to the others.

A vote is called for, and the elders decide the only way they can ensure the safety of The Tribe is to execute Charlie. Charlie is promptly captured and hanged to protect the people.

Shortly after Charlie's death, people begin to fall ill. They run fever and become bedridden. Ish decides that Charlie must also have been carrying Typhoid fever, which has now seized them all. Most of the tribe suffers from the illness, and five of them succumb to it.

Time passes, and a new group of people is discovered to be living not far off across the bay. It has been decided that the two groups should become one and grow their strength together. The founding members of The Tribe begin to die of old age or other medical conditions.

Ish decides that his desire to rebuild the great civilization of humanity can never be realized. He settles on the idea of teaching the children primitive survival skills so they may one day become self-reliant. His first major endeavor is to show them how to make a bow and arrow with simple tools.

Eventually, only Ish remains as "The Last American". He has grown old and spends most days in a mental fog, unaware of his surroundings. He does occasionally come to himself and interacts with his progeny. In one of these moments of clarity his great-grandson Jack tells him that they exclusively use bow and arrow for hunting now because the cartridges for the rifles misfire too frequently.

A wildfire sweeps through the area and destroys Ish's home and the surrounding city. Jack is able to rescue his great-grandfather, but Ish's health is failing and The Tribe asks him to appoint a new leader for them. He chooses Jack, and as he lay dying, recalls a Bible verse from Ecclesiastes: "Men go and come, but Earth Abides."

This book contains the idea of a plague-induced post-apocalyptic society. It has influenced many stories, perhaps most notably Stephen King's "The Stand".

Published in 1949, the author also made a few risky choices with his character development. Ish, a white man, takes Emma, a woman of color, to be his wife. While mundane today, in 1949 this concept was highly controversial. Likewise, Ezra is a practicing polygamist who is openly accepted.

I applaud Stewart for these brazen challenges to the societal norms of his time; however, there are also a few ideals presented that chafe at me.

Ish is our guide and narrator for the story. He is placed in a leadership position by the other characters. We are privy to his thoughts and his views of those around him.

Many times Ish will discount a person in whole because they are female. He views women in general as weak and unable to be logical or to lead. He does admit and admire the strength of Emma, but does not see her as an equal. Ish acknowledges the differences between the way men and women cope with the world, but sees the female way as inferior.

Another topic that comes up in the person of Evie is the group deciding for her that she should not have children. This strikes me as eugenics, which is a horrible practice. No one in The Tribe knows why Evie is the way she is. They have no clue what her diagnosis might be. They just decide that her "affliction" would be passed on to any children she might have.

This infuriates me. I can't say precisely why. That people with no training or knowledge in the field have decided Evie's condition is both biological and hereditary incenses me. Evie may simply suffer from severe PTSD, having witnessed every human being around her die from a terrible illness at a young age. She could have some form of congenital flaw or defect that is acquired and would not pass on to children.

Two things that have also stuck with me from this book are gasoline stoves and parched corn. Gasoline stoves sound like a horrible idea to me, as gasoline does not burn; it explodes. I did some research though and discovered a gasoline stove uses gasoline (or liquid fuel such as white gas, petrol, or Coleman oil) that is stored in a reservoir on the stove itself. Its use in this story likely denotes that the stoves are self-contained and don't require connection to natural gas pipeline infrastructure.

Parched corn is mentioned as a snack. I love food, so I had to know what this is. I believe that parched corn would be similar to, but is not the same as, corn nuts. Parched corn is dry-roasted whole corn kernels cooked until they become crisp, golden-brown, and slightly puffed. It is a beloved traditional snack in Appalachia and other rural American traditions.

Summary

I found "Earth Abides" to be entertaining, but also frustrating. I understand society was different in 1949 and applaud Stewart for progressive views on race, religion, and culture. The patriarchy, eugenics, and sense of superiority from Ish are a big turnoff. Overall, I think I would rate this novel six out of ten.

Please let me know your thoughts on "Earth Abides", or recommend a different book for me to read and review. I look forward to hearing from you.