Twenty-three Snapshots of San Francisco

I absolutely loved Seth Lindberg's style in his short story "Twenty-three Snapshots of San Francisco." The way he told his story through twenty-three labeled photographs, and the way the narrator talked, was all very realistic. The gradual change of society, as it goes from normal to chaotic, is beautifully done; Lindberg writes, "Mr. Sumpter's eyes didn't glow red when I took the picture, it just looks that way now. I think it was the flash from the camera. I didn't know then what I know now," and this particular statement in the end foreshadows bad events that have yet to occur (85). He noticed Mr. Sumpter standing and facing the wall for an extended period of time as well, oblivious to the narrator's call. I didn't realize it at first, but Mr. Sumpter was turning into a zombie.

Later on in the short story, when Guardsmen had rounded up a crowd of humans to be transported elsewhere, a group of zombie creatures infiltrated the crowd and began attacking them––and shots were let loose. The narrator notes: "The Guardsmen were firing into the crowd. They didn't even care" (88). This supports the claim made in class on Tuesday, that in times of crisis, humans fail to watch out for one another. Cooperation is hard to get down, and in this case, as well as care for the human race. The Guardsmen were so intent on killing the creatures that they even felt justified in shooting random innocents. This demonstrates how humans' need for survival can override humanity.