Throughout the novel Z for Zachariah (hereafter ZFZ) by Robert O'Brien, and the film Empire of the Sun (hereafter EOTS) directed by Steven Spielberg, characters are represented in similar situations, where their personalities drastically change, during the times of war and tragedy. In the novel, ZFZ, the protagonist, Ann Burden, is a lone survivor in her valley; after a nuclear holocaust left her thinking she is the only person still alive on the planet. Then a man, John Loomis, comes into the valley, and Ann's hopes rise as she may now have her lifelong companion and family she dreamed of. But then as the story progresses, Ann matures, as she and Mr Loomis battle against each other in an act of desperation to stay alive. Similarly, Jamie, the protagonist from EOTS, finds it hard to stay alive in China during...