MORTON, B.

English 1101 / K. Redding

Composition 2
Revised July 28, 2016

The Revolving Door of Monster Stories as Fables of Disaster

Monsters spawn fear of experimental technology; or does fear of emerging technology
spawn monsters? The selected essays from Monsters by Andrew J. Hoffman (a Bedford Spotlight
Reader) each contemplate the symbolism of monsters as the omen of developing new
technologies. Although My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead by
Chuck Klosterman, and Japans Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called
Godzilla by Peter H. Brothers both discuss the symbiotic association between monsters and the
anxiety of technological experimentation, the differences lie in the type of technology
represented in each essay, which bears exploration of the question; does the monster create the
fear or does the fear create the monster.
The dread of scientific breakthroughs can be found in the DNA of monster lore. My
Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead ponders the overtones of zombie
infestation in the current computer age. In his essay Chuck Klosterman offers, When we think
critically about monsters, we tend to classify them as personifications of what we fear (41). The
fight for survival against zombies parallels the battle to stay relevant in the workplace. Along the
same lines, Klosterman also wrote From a creative standpoint these fear projections are
narrative linchpins; they turn creatures into ideas, and thats the point (41). The rise of zombie
stories equates to increased anxieties of computer dominance, the transformation of intelligent
human beings into stupefied creatures of habit. Peter H. Brothers presents his essay Japans
Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called Godzilla as an examination of the
creation of Godzilla. As explanation of director Ishiro Hondas vison for Godzilla in the film,
Brothers writes he (Honda) resolved to use the monster as a metaphor for the growing fears of a

nation living in the shadow of doomsday (52). The monster exemplifies the annihilation by
atomic bombs and leaves images of mass destruction in its wake.
The essays each associate an unrelated technology as the topic of fear linked to their
monster concept. According to Peter H. Brothers, Godzilla was not only created to call attention
to the after-effects of radiation, but also to the devastation brought forth by the use of atomic
bombs. Bothers speculates that without Hiroshima there would never have been a Godzilla
(54). The destruction of the cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forced the surrender of Japan, and
signified the end of World War II. The aftermath stands as a somber warning to the horrors of
atomic war. The monstrosities of obliteration and human suffering inflicted on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki became symbolic of the wrath of Godzilla. The appearance of Godzilla in the movies,
represents the same extent of annihilation as the appearance of the atomic bombs did in WWII.
Chuck Klosterman expresses his viewpoint of the zombie affiliation as Zombies are like the
Internet and the media and every conversation we dont want to have. All of it comes at us
endlessly (and thoughtlessly), and if we surrender we will be overtaken and absorbed (54).
As technology advances, especially as wireless communications and computers take on more
complicated tasks, there is a fear of human beings becoming obsolete. The menial tasks left for
humans equate to the endless, epic battles of survival against the zombie hordes.
One theme stands out, whether it is the tedious, never-ending fight for survival against
inexhaustible zombie swarms in relation to the monotonous daily routines that threaten to devour
us if we fail in their completion, or the prolific warnings of catastrophic destruction from atomic
experimentation in the form of a gigantic prehistoric creature; the consequences of technological
advancement are just as scary in fiction as in non-fiction.. Just as Godzilla rose from the plumes
of radioactive smoke in the genesis of the Atomic Age, and infinite multitudes of plodding
zombies epitomize the stampeding dominance of the Computer Age; the fear of technological
experimentation will procreate (or possibly resurrect) a monster(s) to stand as a terrifying
premonition of destruction and annihilation. The fear and the monster mutually assure the
existence of the other.

Works Cited
Brothers, Peter H. Japans Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called
Godzilla Monsters: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Ed. Andrew J. Hoffman. New
York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2016. 51-59. Print.
Klosterman, Chuck My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Undead Monsters: A
Bedford Spotlight Reader. Ed. Andrew J. Hoffman. Boston, New York:
Bedford/St. Martins, 2016. 4044. Print.