Earth Abides Themes

Earth Abides Themes

Coming of Age

Ish is a man who believes highly in intellect and places a great deal of trust in traditional knowledge and learning. In some ways, that makes him highly ill-equipped to deal with his current situation. However, he is able to look at things rationally and is a trained observer - both traits in his favor. It simply takes him a while to come to the point that he's able to live in his new world.

Ish wants to teach the young people of his Tribe to form a community. He believes that the basics of knowledge including reading will help his Tribe survive the coming years. Through it all, Ish learns that not all worthwhile people are highly educated or even intellectual. He comes to understand that those who have certain skills and certain personalities are much more able to move comfortably into the new age. Through all this, Ish...
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