Transvaluing the Monster and the Human: Zombies as Multifaceted  Symbols of Critique on American Society in Romero’s Living Dead Series.

Persistent URL of this record https://hdl.handle.net/1887/4038159

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Literary Studies (MA)

Zeijl, Maas Thomas Christian van (2024)

Transvaluing the Monster and the Human: Zombies as Multifaceted Symbols of Critique on American Society in Romero’s Living Dead Series.

Master thesis | Literary Studies (MA)

This thesis examines the evolution of zombie symbolism in George Romero's Living Dead series (1968-2009), reflecting post-World War II neoliberal capitalist societal changes and shifting cultural fears and values regarding power, class, and race in the United States. Initially depicted as mindless, flesh-eating monsters, Romero’s zombies gradually evolve into complex, sympathetic beings, contrasting with the devolution of human survivors into unsympathetic creatures driven by one-dimensional desires. This contrast critiques neoliberal societal and economic developments over the decades, providing a unique perspective on American culture and its embrace of developing capitalist ideology. Utilizing Nietzsche's concept of transvaluation, the thesis explores how Romero's zombies transcend their traditional roles to become adaptive symbols that critique contemporary American societal issues, including racism, consumerism, class inequality, and human coexistence.