Fear and Uncertainty
World War Z tackles the manifold manifestations of the theme of fear and not just primal fear of being eaten alive. Fear also serves as backdrop for the author to get into the discourse of social dynamics and human nature and serves as the binding theme for the whole story. The theme of fear though is united under one underpinning concept, fear born of uncertainty. The relative safety that humanity takes for granted, the ebbs and flow of life, the notion of normalcy, as people have known it has been flipped on its head by the ravenous undead. Even towards the end of the book this theme of fear born of uncertainty becomes the lingering collective question on everyone’s mind as the question of “how will we survive?” to “what will happen to us now?” This complete reversal of all the norms of human life is what is most frightening and that fear lingers long after the book has been put down.
Survival and Disaster Preparation
It should come as no surprise that survival and disaster preparation are pervasive themes in the novel, perhaps as a response to the theme of fear and uncertainty. Likewise, similar to the theme of fear and uncertainty, the theme of survival and disaster preparation also becomes a launching point for social commentary and critiquing of human nature--especially the complete lack of readiness the average person has to respond to crises. In the novel survivors of the zombie apocalypse change priorities from being “lucky to be alive” to conscripts for the zombie fighting force to rebuilders of human society. There is a massive shift in needs as well as perceived value that happens as society pieces itself together after the zombie hordes all but destroy modern society. All of a sudden butchers, weavers, and welders are now more important than the silicone valley start-up hotshots and the social strata is suddenly reversed. This takes a hard toll on the remnants of the old world order but the wheel of change is relentless and pauses for no one. There is a constant reminder throughout the novel of how crucial physical and mental toughness is needed to survive a disaster and how ironically, modern society and conveniences turn that from necessity to frivolity.
Human factor
The human factor has always a great importance everywhere. Actions and their consequences depend on it. The human factor connects characters so deeply to their past. By excluding the human factor, people are risking the kind of personal detachment from a history that may lead them one day to repeat. The human factor is also the only true difference between people and the enemy (“the living dead”). Only the human factor can show kindness and a desire to help other people. Zombies do not have this desire. For example, Dr. Kwang Jingshu risked his life to save the infected people. Nury Televaldi helped many people to escape from infected countries. The human factor should always be developed in a person despite different occasions.
War
The war is a heavy word and a difficult time. Everybody can say the definition of this word, but only one, who saw this sorrow and its consequences, can say what the real war is. The main characters survive the war with zombies. It seems that they are infinitely happy, but all characters met greed, fear, stupidity and hatred. The war took away their freedom, loved people and future. As, the main characters say, consequences are terrible despite the fact that many zombies still exist. Many cities and countries were destroyed. It will take many years to rebuild everything. This grief destroyed everything.
Zombification
Humanity met many different diseases such as plague, fever, Ebola, atypical pneumonia, avian influenza. People infected and died. Nevertheless, the infection that faced the characters of the book is not comparable to other diseases. Zombification is worse than any kind of flu and even death. Being infected with this infection, a person turns into a monster. The main characters saw all terrible consequences of zombification. People cannot even feel the transformation into a zombie. This disease makes a person an animal, which has no mercy.
Social Commentary
World War Z is, by and large, less of a horror novel and more of a social commentary. The author uses the novel as a platform to critique government policies, especially those that he perceives to be incompetent or poorly thought through. The author also uses the novel to voice out his disdain for government bureaucracy. He lambasts the widespread exploitation of corporations, particularly pharmaceutical companies and he takes several liberal pokes at the shortsightedness of artificially constructed societal borders---particularly religious and geopolitical prejudices. All of these institutions and their byproducts, their effects and the damage they have collectively wrought, have been, at least indirectly, proven to be more deadly, than the zombie plague itself.