The Eleventh Plague is set in the future where a war between the United States and China has left the the world an apocalyptic wasteland. Around 2/3 of the population has died from a disease that was released by the Chinese, nicknamed the Eleventh Plague, that had lost control and spread everywhere. The world quickly fell apart in an event called The Collapse. The novel begins 18 years after The Collapse with Stephen and his father burying Stephen's grandfather. The group had initially been Stephen's parents and his grandfather, but now it is just the the pair left. Soon after Stephen's father is injured and falls into a coma. A group of traveller's find the pair and gives Stephen the option to return with them. He accepts the invitation and goes with them to their community called Settlers Landing. In this community Stephens father is taken care of by a nurse and he begins to feel what a somewhat normal life would have been like before the collapse. After a fight with one of the community leaders sons, Stephen chooses to go to the outskirts of the town with his new friend Jenny. One night they decide to play a prank on the kid that they got in a fight with and things escalate, the people of Settler's Landing believe that a war has begun between them and a nearby camp called Fort Leonard and attack. As the fighting begins Stephen and Jenny realize what they have started and attempt to stop the war before it's too late. Along the way Stephen learns how to improve his life and live the way he has always wanted.
Quote:
“‘Maybe there isn’t anything better out there, but … your dad and your grandpa handed you this life, right? Just like Marcus and Violet handed me mine. This is your name. This is where you live. This is who you are. We never chose any of it. So whose lives are we living? Ours or theirs?’” (210). Jenny is not only inspiring Stephen to fight back against the slavers, but attempting to inspire herself. In this moment they realize something major: a life is not yours unless you live it the way you want. From this moment forward it causes both of them to do their own thing and fight against the slavers to save both themselves, Settlers Landing, and Fort Leonard altogether. This concept is one of the major points of the novel, that a life is not truly yours unless you live it in your own way. If you do exactly what your parents did, and their parents did, you are just living in someone else’s shadow. You have to make decisions for yourself and act according to what is best for you to truly live your life.
Essay:
Finding A Fulfilling Life As Elanor Roosevelt once said, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” This expression perfectly summarizes the message of Jeff Hirsch’s The Eleventh Plague. In the novel, Stephen Quinn discovers his way of living a meaningful life in an apocalyptic world. Stephen finds satisfaction in living a life where he makes decisions for himself, has a greater purpose, and takes risks to obtain exactly what he wants. This allows him to find others similar to himself who discover a fulfilling life and make the most of what has been given to them. Before his father is hurt and falls into a coma, Stephen had never before made a major decision for himself. His entire life had been a monotonous cycle of traveling the same paths between trade centers everyday, and setting up camp in the wilderness at night. It is until Stephen is left with the option of joining new people from Settlers Landing, that he makes a decision that will change his life forever. This course of action was just the first step to live the life Stephen desires. Stephen eventually realizes that every decision he makes must be made with himself in mind to truly live his life, “‘Maybe there isn’t anything better out there, but … your dad and your grandpa handed you this life, right? Just like Marcus and Violet handed me mine. This is your name. This is where you live. This is who you are. We never chose any of it. So whose lives are we living? Ours or theirs?’” (210). In this moment Stephen decides from then on he will always make decisions that are best for his own life. Before joining the community of Settlers Landing, Stephen Quinn had never had a purpose in life. His actions were nearly meaningless and everything was for his own survival. It isn’t until he meets Jenny who explains that choosing to live a purposeful life is the greatest way one can live, “‘I’m sorry about your parents,’ she said. ‘But at least they died while they were trying to live. They didn’t just sit around waiting to die’” (211). Jenny teaches Stephen to live in such a way that a motive drives and pushes him to live an enjoyable life. He then finds this to be learning and passing the knowledge on through teaching children. Even with finding this purpose, he still feels as though he is not truly living his life to the fullest. Stephen discovers that to fully commit to a fulfilling life, one must take risks to secure greater rewards. At first he is always timid, not taking any chances and always playing it safe. By the end of the novel however, Stephen Quinn is risking his own life to save his new friends. However this mindset shift was very difficult for him. At times he would question if things would be better if he instead continued playing it safe, “Maybe if we never built anything, then nothing could ever collapse. No. We have to be more than the world would make us” (212). In the end Stephen realizes that without any risks in life, there’s no chance for a better way of life. Overall, Jeff Hirsch’s The Eleventh Plague, is a novel concerning the way to find a more fulfilling life. The main character Stephen Quinn discovers the ideal life is created by making decisions for himself, finding a purpose, and taking chances every opportunity he gets. This message is an example for all in search of a better life, to do what’s best for oneself, find a motive to live for, and take risks whenever possible. If one does this, their life will be much more enjoyable and exciting.
Themes:
Decision Making: Choosing what is best for one's future