The Zombie Archetype: Living in a Viral Culture

Abstract

When psyche brings forth monsters, it is always wise to take a close look. When the active imagination of global culture fixates on a particular kind of monster, there's a veritable treasure trove of hidden meaning and valuable psychological information to be unearthed. Zombies warrant closer scrutiny for several reasons: (1) They are currently enjoying a place in the cultural spotlight; (2) they embody the loss of will and the disempowerment that occurs in so many of the situations humans fear and loathe the most; and (3) they are remarkably flexible metaphors that stand in as symbols for social ills as disparate as viral pandemics, the evils of technology, and the chaos that threatens to take over in the face of political collapse. What is behind the popular appeal of the brain-devouring quest of the walking dead? Can the lure be linked to globalization and the inevitable sharing of biohazardous particulates among the people of the world? Or can it be further reduced to a manifestation of the primordial fear of death itself? This article examines zombies across time and place and finds them to be worthy representations of the specters of frightening forces that hunt down and haunt the living.