World War Z discussion

I was wondering how other people interpreted the interview with Colonel Christina Eliopplis (starts on page 168 of the copy I have). Basically was Mets real? Was it the authors intention to leave it ambiguous as to whether she actually existed or not? How did you all read this part of the book?

I think he meant it to remain ambiguous. I thought personally that it was all in her head. If you logically looked at all the information and advice Mets told her, she wasn't given anything she didn't already know. Even locations that she'd seen during the fly over and survival advice.

@Josh: I agree with you, although I think perhaps Brooks meant for us to know it was in her head. The sentence that hands down leads me to think this is the ending sentence, "She was there when I needed her, and for the rest of my life, she'll always be with me."

I also agree with Josh and Holden that Mets was in her head. I believe that there are times in our lives when we cannot handle the stress that we are faced with, and that is one of the coping mechanisms. "She was there when I needed her, and for the rest of my life, she'll always be with me." It is our inner consious that is always with us. Almost like psycing ourselves out before a game or telling ourselves we can go just a little further. It seems that Brooks really did his homework for this book becuase there are other stories of soldiers saying the same things about when they were in combat situations. As Christina said, maybe it was a goddess talking to her?!?

This is a little off topic, but this part of the book reminded me of the episode of Bones where Booth is kidnapped by the grave digger. I think it was all in her head as well. I also think that maybe she knew it was, too.

The fact that she heard a female voice instead of a male one could also be an indication that it was her all along, putting a name to her calm self when, separating her calm self so it could be of any use to her. I always thought it was all in her head but that she accepted that.

I never analyzed it too closely, this being one of the interviews that has haunted me the most. Its one that really feel puts you in that place and that place is super terrifying. I don't think we're meant to know for sure whether or not she's real but her impact on the downed pilot.

That was a memorable chapter in the book. Personally, I'm in agreement with Joline and others who believe that it was all in Christina's head.

I'm really sorry that these are the sort of things being left out of the up-coming film adaptation, in order to turn it into a straight zombie/action film.

That was my favorite chapter. I think that Mets wasn't real, and that we the readers were supposed to understand that. The pilot had put herself in a state to cope with this this high-stress situation and survive. In her subconscious she knew what she needed to do to survive but she needed to give credit to an outside source. So she created Mets.

i think that christine gives it away that mets isn't real when she says that mets asked her if she's going to end up like her mother. how would mets know about christine's mother if she was a complete stranger? only someone who knows how you feel about your mother would know to get your butt moving by bringing her up. mets was christine's tyler durden -- she needed someone there to help her cope and make it through so her mind invented someone who would/could.

One of my favorite chapters of the book. I thought Mets was a manifestion of her training and to give validity to herself that she wasnt going crazy due to the accident her mind added the other details (i.e. actual voice, location of the cabin, etc.). Christina seemed like she was so sure and such a rational person that having an "imaginary friend' would list her as crazy and potentially ruin her standing among other pilots if she admitted this was the case.

Yeah, I think from my perspective its as clear as can be that Mets fan isn't real.

As D.l. points out, the real key bit of information is the detailed knowledge of C's mother - how likely is that if Metsfan was real?

Whilst I was reading this chapter and taking everything at face value (i.e. that Metsfan was real) the first time I thought something was up was when Metsfan detected the presence of the Zs near the car before C did. C says something along the lines of that she must have kept her thumb on transmit or something - it just didn't seem right even at the time of reading. Plus the other bits of info as described by the other contributors above (plus the radio was found to be always broken), etc. etc. ..... MF was in her head.

Sue wrote: "I never analyzed it too closely, this being one of the interviews that has haunted me the most. Its one that really feel puts you in that place and that place is super terrifying. I don't think we'..."

"Haunted" is a great descriptor, Sue. I felt the same way by many chapters/incidents/characters.

This is my favorite chapter, thank you for bringing it up. It is also a good example of what Tzvetan Todorov called "the fantastic" in non-realist fiction, when reality is questioned by the character as well as by the reader. Was Mets real or did she only exist inside Colonel Christina Eliopplis´ head? It is actually a perfect example. Another perfect example is the movie Pan´s Labrynth.

This is my favorite chapter as well! I interpret it as...our brains are amazing machines and they protect us when we need them to. In her case, I believe, her brain split in two: the terrified Christina. The one who forgot all her training and could’ve easily died there. And Mets. The Christina that could be levelheaded and smart in a time of intense stress.

For me I think its all in her head but it could make sense, she is in an incredibly tense situation and from experience fight or flight senses can create some crazy situations. I think its a way of showing her human side of panicking which is the way she portrays herself and Metz is the training she says that fighting for control to put her back inline.