Yet More Rambling

In my last two posts, I rambled on about dystopian fiction and how it plays a developmental role for young readers as they move toward adulthood. I also mentioned the different types of dystopian fiction directed to adults, which involves zombies, conspiracies, and other material that reflects adult concerns. Finally, I get to my point! Which is my theory is that dragons used to be what zombies are now. Stick with me while I talk this through.

I recently had a conversation with a teacher at the school where I work, about a Fouth Grade boy who wrote a story where a hero shoots zombies. The teacher was dismayed by the violent and inappropriate content of the boy’s story. I said to her, “Look how common zombies are in entertainment right now. Books, comics, movies, TV, video games — they all include zombies. This boy is probably writing what his parents were watching on Walking Deadthe night before.” “Could be, but it’s still inappropriate.”

Believe it or not, this is what got me thinking and comparing between dragons and zombies. In every era, there are fictional villains everyone loves to hate and who are considered appropriate targets for violence. You know them — bandits, goblins, wolves. Criminals have broken the law, so it’s okay for superheroes to beat them up. Wolves are dangerous, so it’s okay for hunters to kill them. And, yes, dragons are a menace, so it’s okay for knights to cut their heads off. Currently, zombies are both dangerous and (depending on the story) contagious, so it’s okay for video gamers to shoot them.

So, similarities between zombies and dragons. 1) Hideously ugly. Zombies are bloody and maimed, maybe with a few parts falling off. The greatest dragons were also awful to behold, like Hydra with her nine heads. 2) Horribly powerful. Dragons have breath weapons and zombies can overwhelm almost any defense, given time. They both are really hard to kill. 3) Not very smart. Modern readers are accustomed to super-smart dragons, but the classic dragons, like Fafnir, were creatures of instinct rather than intellect. And, as we all know, zombies are constantly searching for brains because they don’t have their own.

Dissimilarities? Sure. Dragons are much, much bigger. Zombies don’t fly, unless they’ve snuck onto an airplane. People mostly run away from them, whereas they actually look for dragons due to the lure of rich hoards.

Long ago, dragons were the ultimate monster. People who were safe at home told heroic stories about dragons and brave knights. They passed stories around like comic books, and talked about them the way we talk about zombie movies. What dragons were then, zombies are now — the ultimate monster everyone is afraid of.

Well, what do you think? Are zombies the new dragons?