The Last Kids on Earth

“It’s time to stop being this monster’s punching bag. See, I’ve kind of been the world’s punching bag for a while and y’know—it just ain’t a whole lotta fun. So I’m fighting back.”

Once again, Jack’s past subtly emerges to develop his character as someone who has endured a history of being overlooked and picked on, but who is now determined to find his resiliency and literally “fight back.” Jack’s past life of being the “punching bag” of the world has turned him into a tough kid who can now handle the horrors of a zombified world in which he must learn how to throw punches back. Furthermore, from a literary perspective, his voice as a confident and casual adolescent is established by his use of informal phrases like “lotta fun” and “y’know.”

“I’ve encountered other freaky beasts over the last forty-two days, but none like this. None that examined me: looking over me, smelling me, studying me. None that felt this terrifyingly smart.”

Blarg’s presence in the narrative is a constant threat. This moment highlights how formidable the antagonist is. The emphasis on the intelligence of the beast indicates that it isn’t an ordinary monster like those Jack normally fights. His sense of heightened fear and alertness reveal how dangerous it will be for Jack to avoid Blarg. It works as foreshadowing to the plot conflict, which revolves around Jack outlasting the beast in order to save his friends.

“I learned a long time ago that it’s best to try not to worry so much about the junk life shovels on you. Life tries to knock you one—just do your best to duck and keep moving. The way I see it, someone’s always got it worse, right?”

Jack’s philosophy shows his true character’s grit and determination. Considering he has endured the end of the world, it makes sense that he can offer advice about perseverance and hope. Rather than blaming or hating his situation, he embraces it as a challenge and turns it into a sort of video game, because he knows that as bad as he has it, there are those who have it worse. It’s a moral lesson for the young reader to take away and apply to their own lives.

“I’m a dorky warrior orphan. I’m a zombie-fighting, monster-slaying tornado of cool (not really, but this is my story, so deal). And I will—Rescue June Del Toro and complete the ULTIMATE Feat of Apocalyptic Success!”

This quote reveals Jack’s goofy and lovable kid side—his sense of imagination and hyperbole that are characteristic of a 13-year-old boy or girl. It also further develops his character as someone who is enjoying the apocalypse and defining himself successfully as a fighter. The quote also highlights his overall motivation and inner drive to rescue June, therefore emphasizing his heroic ambition and establishing a major plot point in the narrative.

“But it wasn’t fine. I hate jerks—whether they’re monster jerks or zombie jerks or just regular human jerks.”

This scene is from a flashback when Jack is standing up to face off against Dirk, who is bullying Quint. Jack’s attitude towards “jerks” is unmistakable: He doesn’t like them. By standing up to Dirk, Jack is standing up to an injustice and a social wrong and trying to rectify it. This sense of righteousness drives his character’s ambitions.

“I’m in a real pickle. And I hate pickles… I hate pickles the food and I hate ‘pickles,’ like when you’re in a jam. Although, funny enough, I do love jam. Red raspberry, preferably.”

While trapped in a “pickle” in the metaphorical sense during battle, Jack expresses humor rather than fear. His casual and borderline-reckless tone expresses a true sense of comfort, even when faced with literal danger. It further elevates his character’s aura of heroics and bravery by showing his fearlessness and fun side. It is also very indicative of his age, and how immature he can be.

“Tomorrow, bright and early, we’re scouring this town for June. Not just the school and not just her home. Everywhere. No building unexplored. No spot unsearched.”

Jack’s determination to find June is unparalleled. It once again shows his determination, but also evinces his grit for not giving up. The level of tenacity he has is characteristic of a heroic protagonist, and the search to locate June continues to drive and shape the potential conflict and climax of the story.

“And that feeling, that freedom, that total independence—I don’t know if I’d trade it for a thousand trips to Disney World or Disneyland or Disney Town or Yankee Stadium or Big Earl’s Petting Zoo or wherever it is parents take kids.” 

Jack constantly references how free and “totally independent” he feels in this new apocalyptic wasteland. Ironically, because he was an orphan, his memories of the former world don’t contain the typical happiness of suburban childhood. Instead of going to Disney World, he moved around foster homes, until he landed with the dreadful Robinson family. A sense of resentment and bitterness is detectable, but instead of being hateful about his past, he uses it to strengthen his character’s resolve and make the best out of the worst situations.

“They look like the happiest family on earth […] I can’t help but think how they at least got to be a family. With a dog, even. At least they got to have a house—a real house, not some random place you just get shipped to every year. A home. They had what I’ve always wanted.” 

While searching the ruins for gasoline, Jack sees an old family photo as a remnant of past society. On a larger level, it suggests how fleeting the nature of our happiness and stability is in our society—how fragile our joy and structures of living really are. On a personal level, it references the constant motif of Jack’s detachment from family and home, and in seeing what it looks like again, he feels saddened.

“He’s a survivor. Like us. We can’t leave him.” 

When Quint wants to leave Dirk behind, Jack refuses to abandon a fellow “survivor.” Instead, Jack goes out of his way to rescue Dirk—even if Dirk doesn’t necessarily ask to be rescued—and allows their former bully to join their team. This level of attention and care highlights the theme of friendship as a form of survival in this narrative. Everyone—regardless of who they once were in previous times—deserves a chance to reinvent themselves, and Jack knows that Dirk should be given the opportunity to change and grow.

“I realize then that the bully/bullied relationship has seriously shifted. Dirk’s clothes are torn and tattered. He is clearly alone. Dirk Savage needs my friendship more than I ever needed his.” 

Similar to the analysis above, the social landscape of the zombie world has completely shifted everyone’s relationships to each other. Whatever previous social constructs and/or reputations once existed are gone, and all that remains is the real person underneath. Whereas Dirk was once an invincible school bully, he is now a vulnerable boy, and in an unthinkable inversion of roles, Jack has the opportunity to help the large adolescent out. In choosing to be the morally bigger person, Jack proves himself as a true leader, who has a sense of deep empathy and compassion for others, regardless of their past history.

“Rover is awesome. I always wanted a dog, but when you’re a foster kid who’s always bounced around, you don’t get things like dogs. You might land with a family that has a dog, but you start playing with it and having a blast and next thing you know—off to a new family and no more dog. But now I’ve got my own dog—a monster dog. I’m trying to teach it tricks.”

Beneath his imagined exterior as a cool hero, Jack is still a child. Having referenced his traumatic past as an orphan, he shows that there is pain in his being unloved and unvalued. However, because he was never able to enjoy the simplicity of a conventional American childhood, he values everything in the apocalypse. The motif of family and belonging is clearly at the forefront of his desires, so finding Rover is a huge boost in his morale and faith in his new reality.

“Blarg’s eyes. His many eyes. They’re watching us. They’re watching me […] Promising revenge.” 

The largest threat in the story is not the zombies or other mutated monsters, but Blarg. In this moment of near escape, the kids evade Blarg’s attack and have clearly solidified their rivalry with the beast. The look in Blarg’s eyes fill Jack with fear—which he rarely experiences—and foreshadows a major conflict in the future. 

“He stands up straight—straighter than I’ve ever seen. Then he steps forward and shakes Dirk’s hand.” 

Both the character developments of Dirk and Quint begin to take shape midway through the story: Dirk becomes more supportive and vulnerable with Quint, and Quint becomes more confident and trusting of Dirk. It represents the effect of teamwork and trust that stems from the rapport of these characters who must rely on each other for their survival. In the image portrayed through the quote, Quint’s ability to stand taller than he ever has suggests that he is learning how to walk in the world as a more confident and self-assured person without the same worries and fears he always had before the apocalypse.

“Now here’s the thing with schools. I hate them. You probably do, too. Most kids hate school. But I hate school WAY MORE than most kids. See, I’ve attended about ten different schools in my thirteen years. Every year, shuffled from one place to the next, every time a new home, a new school to go with it. To me, every time I enter a school—it’s a reminder of how I’m not normal.” 

Jack is largely an alienated outsider, and schools represent a social space where he never was able to fit in regularly. Because of this, he has a damaged relationship to institutions like schools. It’s more than a frustration with boredom, or any other typical symptom of disliking school for an adolescent teen; it’s a real wound that he has in his psyche and identity, and one that he is trying to heal through his new life and friendships. By willingly entering the school to save June, it also shows how committed he is to making his current life better by overcoming his past struggles.

“June looks like some sort of crazed killer Amazonian warrior princess! She’s got a broom handle carved into a spear and her hair is whipping around like there’s a breeze.”

June’s introduction is through the lens of Jack’s perspective, and he is clearly impressed by her attitude, demeanor, and toughness. Rather than being the helpless girl that he imagined, she is an “Amazonian warrior” —which is a mythic female warrior known for bravery and savagery. This is the first actual representation of June’s character in the story, and the way it contrasts Jack’s imagination of her as sweet and defenseless highlights how the standards and expectations of the current world they are living in are unpredictable and surprising—and that survival is possible for anyone.

“Are you actually having fun during the end of the world?”

June asks Jack about the way he is coping with the end of the world, and she seems baffled that he is actually enjoying it. Rather than moping about it, Jack has developed a passion for gaming and pranks that involve toying with the zombies and evading danger. It reinforces the notion of fun and competition in the book, and also strengthens Jack’s voice and tone of joy and excitement.

“I. Am. No. Damsel in distress.” 

One of the most memorable quotes in th book, June grabs Jack

by the collar of his shirt to let him know she is not someone who needs to be “saved.” She is fiercely independent, actively clever, and has survived on her own, so she doesn’t need Jack or the boys to protect her. In fact, she protects them from danger in certain cases. 

“And the worst part of it is—this is 100 percent my fault. I never should have come to save June. She didn’t need saving. She didn’t need me at all. And now everyone’s stuck here.” 

In a rare moment of self-blame, Jack admits that he has endangered himself and his friends by pursuing his heroic quest. However, in admitting he is wrong, he demonstrates a characteristic of great leadership by allowing the blame to be his. In doing this, he acknowledges his fault and is open to the suggestions and criticism of his teammates, and then strategizes to plan an attack.

“I mean, sure, we look like a bunch of down-on-our-luck losers who have no business fighting monsters, hatching plans, or really attempting anything. But hey, we are… A TEAM!”

An integral element of this story is the team chemistry. In any other circumstance, they’d be seen as a group of “losers,” but together at this moment, they stand unified and proud. The concept of teamwork and family are essential to Jack’s story, and at this instance, he and his team have reached the pinnacle of their powers by defying the odds and enhance each other to be their best selves.

“We all look at each other. Thinking about what we’re about to do. Nervous. Terrified, right down to the bone. But in this together.”

The sense of teamwork and unity reaffirms each character’s individual confidence. They are stronger because of each other, and their fear becomes their pride. What one characters lacks (i.e. Quint’s refusal to “punch”) another team member excels in (i.e. Dirk loves punching), and vice versa (Quint has created bombs with his knowledge of science but Dirk is unable to do so). Their sense of balance and symmetry compliments one another in a way that empowers them all as a unit.

“Here’s the truth. This tree house isn’t just any old tree house. It’s my home. For the first time in my life I have a real, permanent home.” 

Jack loves his new family and his new home, and will risk his life to defend it. It’s more than just a hangout—it’s a space of comfort and survival and joy. At this point in the narrative, he has found himself as a more complete person. He has developed into a stronger leader, a better friend, and a confident fighter. He would rather Blarg eat him than have others suffer. This moment reinforces the theme of how friendship fuels his need to survive—even thrive—in his new setting, and how home is an ever-present need for his happiness and sense of security. He has achieved it here.

“I don’t hear any of the terrible sounds of this world. No monsters howling, no zombies moaning. Just me breath, returning to me.” 

After the epic defeat of Blarg, Jack lies there in peace. His silence and satisfaction are evident as he enjoys a rare moment of triumph and relaxation. None of the monstrous realities can impede on his joy in this moment. The figurative sense of his “breath” returning to him also symbolizes a moment of new life and knowing that he has conquered the biggest obstacle of his life to date, and has succeeded in preserving his home and friends. From a universal perspective, humanity has been re-established, and the horrors of the world have disappeared, if only for a moment.