Survival of the Fittest Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank, illustrates genuine
examples of how superior creatures survive and the weaker perish. Those who
sufficiently responded to this difficult challenge set before them were Randy
Bragg, Dan Gunn, Alice Cooksey, and Florence Wechek. Those individuals who were
unsuccessful with this devastating feat were Edgar Quisenberry, Bubba Offenhaus,
Pete Hernandez, and Porky Logan. During this period those animals that become
savage beasts and would do anything for food survived, while the animals that
were controlled by humans did not. Randy Bragg is a natural leader and a quick
thinker and he had his mind set that he was going to live even if he had to
fight for his life. "We're going to have to be tough, we are going to have
to be catfish" (Ch.7). The community's doctors had either been killed or
vanished and Dan Gunn, now the only physician in Fort Repose, tried to help
everyone who was sick and this made him survive because he knew the people of
the community needed is capabilities. After being beaten by the highwaymen he
shows how strong and how much will power to survive he had by walking miles to
the Bragg household. Fort Repose's librarian, Alice Cooksey, had the strength to
keep on living because she knew that the library was the only source of learning
for the people and especially the children. "She felt fulfilled, even
important" (Ch.8). Florence Wechek, "a guppy, a nice, drab little
guppy " in the eyes of her pier Randy Bragg (Ch.7). The analysis made by
Randy Bragg was correct in the sense that Florence relating to the guppy was
willing to do what she had to serve the community and survive. The President of
the Fort Repose Bank became a massive position after The Day. Edgar Quisenberry
was a coward because he couldn't face the facts; he couldn't bare a world that
didn’t use any type of currency and he wouldn't allow himself to be humiliated
so he committed suicide. " He had been a banker all his life and that was
the way he was going to die, a banker" (Ch.5). Bubba Offenhaus, an
egotistical man, was the Deputy Director of Civil Defense in the town. He gave
all the Civil Defense pamphlets to the librarian because they took up to much
space in his office and if they people could have seen these pamphlets they
might have had a better chance to support themselves longer. Even though he
didn't die he was a failure because he sat at home and did nothing but wait to
die. After everything was sold in his grocery store Pete Hernandez had stored
some supplies for him and his sister but, he was so greedy that he was happy
about making ten dollars a pound for salt. " Ten dollars a pound for
salt!….. Ain't that something!" (Ch.7). Stupidity and greediness was
Pete's downfall and wearing contaminated watches and other jewelry killed him.
Porky Logan took everything he could out of a demolished jewelry store and sold
some of the items to the Hernandez' for food and other items. His greediness
killed him because he should have just sold all the jewelry, but he liked it so
much he had to keep it. Animals and humans evolved at the same time during this
time. The dogs of Fort Repose had become wolves and found and caught their prey
any way conceivable. The cats are one of the few animals that did survive.
"The house cat turns hunter" (Ch.7). The controlled animals put up
less of a fight to survive. Anthony the pet bird failed to survive because the
cat over powered the little bird. The evolutionary theory that only the strong
survive stated in Darwin's Origin of Species is well focused throughout the
novel. Those who survived knew they had to find the joy in this disaster,
whereas the ones who did not survive wanted to give up and die. Many found their
place in life and those who could not find it in life instead found it in death.