Abstract: The Post-Apocalyptic Genre

In my essay, I attempted to construct a working definition for the post-apocalyptic genre by discussing the major post-apocalyptic themes dealing with human survival in The Road and Parable of the Sower. I examined these themes through a psychological lens by using Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which consists of physiological needs, security, love, esteem, and self-actualization in that order. Using this hierarchy as a guide for my analyses, I examined the similar content between each novel in order to craft some possible themes that are characteristic of the post-apocalyptic genre. I argued that food, weapons and security, companionship and community, and faith and self-acceptance are the recurring subject matters found in both novels. From this content, I discovered that some of the reoccurring themes found in the post-apocalyptic genre consist of the necessity of migration in search of better living conditions, the idea of constant danger, the desperation of living, human interaction as a reason for living, the search for a greater meaning to life, and the struggle to maintain one's ethical standards.