Being a Leader in
the Zombie Apocalypse
By Jon-Paul Scordio
In the realm of Zombie-lore there seems to be two main
options: Either take Jesse Eisenberg’s choice from Zombieland to not trust
anyone because your hot neighbor tried to eat you, or more typically join a
group of people because there are strength in numbers. We clearly see a group
dynamic in Courtney Summers’ novel, This
is Not a Test, as our narrator is barricaded up in her high school with
five other teenagers. Having the only parents missing, and believed dead, by
the time the teenagers arrived at CHS, no clear leadership has been established.
We see Cary chastised by Trace in the beginning for trying to fill that
position, but by the end of the first section (up to page 139), we see a clear
lack of leadership within our group of survivors. As a member of my communities
ruling council, I find there are a wide range of characteristics that go into a
leader to keep everyone organized and level-headed in a disorganized and
flesh-eating world. The 6 members of the CHS community all exemplify aspects of
a potential leader, but lack in certain areas that prevent them from being a
leader thus far.
Cary Chen
We can view Cary as the leader initially because he speaks
up first and has no problem with assuming control. This can be seen early on,
especially when Trace argues with him because Cary spoke up first when everyone
was asked to do next on page 31. Cary helps organize the group as well, setting
up rules for breakfast, water usage, daily checks of barricades and keeping
hope for survival amongst the group. However, we first see signs of a weak
leader once in the library exploring the “thud” noise on page 52 because Cary
starts to become short with Grace and Trace, showing that he isn’t the most
levelheaded. This escalates even further on page 88 when Cary and Trace get
into a fight. Cary’s weakness in being able to control his emotions starts to
have a downward spiral in his ability to lead everyone. It all comes full
circle when they all get drunk and Cary spills about the guilt on his heart, as
well as his true intentions for when Trace and Grace parents died.
Rhys Moreno
In the beginning of the novel, Rhys is portrayed as Cary’s
wingman, or sidekick. Trace points this out to everyone multiple times
throughout the first half. He is portrayed as such because he does the same
exact things as Cary, yet never takes initiative, kind of like he is the
muscle, and Cary is the brains. However, Rhys seems to be the most levelheaded
amongst the whole bunch since he is consistently the only one to diffuse the
situation between the Casper twins and Cary. On top of that, Rhys thinks about
the group as a whole, and about himself the least. Whether it is taking the
initiative to go find Sloane because she’s missing, or offering to wear the
emergency backpacks because no one else wants to for fear they will be easier
to grab onto by zombies. Cary offers to carry the backpack as well, yet his
failure to step up to go outside and check on the guy showed his true colors,
where as Rhys stepped up to do that as well. Rhys seems to be good leader
material, but seems to also enjoy not having that title.
Trace Casper
Right from the start, there isn’t much about Trace that
makes him in any way, shape or form a good leader. He is always first to start
an argument, is hardly ever a team player, and even portrayed as a baby with
his sister. Not to mention, he is extremely selfish, unless it comes to Grace
(but they are kind of the same person), and willing to risk anyone else’s life
over his own. Only when he is drunk does he show some compassion to Harrison,
comforting him about his life since Cary made him feel worthless. So overall,
he seems like a terrible leader, except one thing; Trace has no aversion to
ever speak his mind, and in a Zombie apocalypse, that attribute can be an
important one for your leader to have.
Grace Casper
When we first meet Grace, she is portrayed as a motherly
character, tending to Trace whenever needed, trying to get him to eat, calming
him down when upset and letting him think that their parents are still alive in
order to instill some hope. However, mother Grace seems to be too emotional,
and influenced by her brother’s actions. Also, despite her brother making
terrible rash decisions, she sides along instead of having her own voice as the
more levelheaded sibling. Grace could be a good leader, in fact she was student
body president, but she solidified her role as a mother, caring only for
herself and her brother.
Sloane Price
Our narrator let us know right off the bat that she was
suicidal, which is never a good trait for any leader. She often wanders by
herself, and likes the idea of putting herself at risk of death. She doesn’t
like to voice her opinions or engage in any conflict for that matter. Yet one
good aspect about Sloane is that she is willing to put the needs of the group
before herself. Yes, she may have led Rhys to almost-death allowing him to come
out with her even though she never planned on going back in, but when Rhys
froze up, she went back to save him. Also, as we see her character grow, we
also see her suicidal side diminish a bit. Making it ironic that in a world of
so much death, she is starting to see reason for life.
Harrison
As Cary puts it in the end, Harrison is the most useless,
and the most expendable of the six. He cries, all the time, and never does
anything but worry. Straight up, the worst leader. One thing that he does bring
to the table though, is his ability to wonder and question every aspect of
every situation. A close-minded leader can influence a group negatively, and
have the innocence and ability to analyze something further can save you
sometimes.
I really like the idea of Rhys and Carey being "co-leaders", its an aspect I never really considered before but it works pretty well. While it's clear that Carey has the skills to give everyone the best chance of survival (even Mr. and Mrs. Casper were following him at one point), it's rather obvious he lacks the levelheadedness you mention in your post. He never seems to be able to handle Trace's accusations and is constantly storming off instead of being the bigger man and letting it roll off him.
Rhys on the other hand is very levelheaded and is able to keep two potentially devastating secrets from the rest of the group (1. Harrison was supposed to die instead of the Caspers 2. Sloane is suicidal) when it would be very easy to spill the beans in this scenario. I also don't recall him losing control when he volunteers to leave the school with Sloane. If these two could combine their skills and maybe take a little of Grace's political savvy, they would have a leader anyone would be confident following.
Very nice analysis of the characters!
I think you're addressing an important point.
I feel like the best leader for a group for a zombie apocalypse is the person who understands that group synergy and teamwork is the only way to survive and is the best at communicating and relating this to the group members. Just like how a captain of a sports team might not be the most skilled player, leadership is reflected in a balance of qualities.
A leader has to be willing to make the tough calls and take responsibility for what happens.
They need to be strategic but not too proud as to think they're always right-a real leader knows when to follow.
A good leader knows when to speak their mind, and conveys that the opinions of the group are also important.
They should be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the party.
They should be willing to kill for the good of the group but be gentle enough joke around and keep things upbeat. A good leader keeps the groups spirit alive.
They must be loyal, and thus build loyalty.
If someone within the group causes problems or is confrontational, the leader must keep levelheaded but at the same time be aware that actions may need to be taken.
A good leader is honest and open with the group.
If group mates aren't getting along, the leader needs to be able to defuse the situation (through productive/cohesive strategies) for the good of the group.
OH! And the leader needs to be willing/able to kill a zombie with a melee weapon. Nuff Said.