--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They…" description: "\"“Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s feral nature, as in 28 Days. Or racial poli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/scott-westerfeld-928_metaphors_sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can_38838.jpg" --- # Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the… ![“Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s feral nature, as in 28 Days. Or racial politics or fear of contagion or even the consumer unconscious (Night of the Living Dead, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead). We could play this game all…” quote by Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/scott-westerfeld-928_metaphors_sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can_38838.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/scott-westerfeld-928_metaphors_sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can_38838.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/scott-westerfeld-928_metaphors_sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can_38838.jpg) > ““Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s feral nature, as in 28 Days. Or racial politics or fear of contagion or even the consumer unconscious (Night of the Living Dead, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead). We could play this game all night. But really, zombies are not “supposed to be metaphors.” They’re supposed to be friggin’ zombies. They follow the Zombie Rules: they rise from death to eat the flesh of the living, they shuffle in slow pursuit (or should, anyway), and most important, they multiply exponentially. They bring civilization down, taking all but the most resourceful, lucky and well-armed among us, whom they save for last. They make us the hunted; all of us. That’s the stuff zombies are supposed to do. Yes, they make excellent symbols, and metaphors, and have kick-ass mythopoeic resonance to boot. But their main job is to follow genre conventions, to play with and expand the Zombie Rules, to make us begin to see the world as a place colored by our own zombie contingency plans. \[…\] Stories are the original virtual reality device; their internal rules spread out into reality around us like a bite-transmitted virus, slowly but inexorably consuming its flesh. They don’t just stand around “being metaphors” whose sole purpose is to represent things in the real world; they eat the real world.”” [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Zombies embody genre conventions—rising, feeding, multiplying—to illustrate societal collapse, while also serving as flexible metaphors for oppression, fear, and consumerism. **In simple terms:** Zombies follow rules that mirror real‑world anxieties. Key Takeaway Zombies are both literal monsters and symbolic tools. Themes horror metaphor societal critique genre theory Mood dark critical ironic Type cultural critique genre analysis theoretical essay When to use this quote - film analysis - political satire - marketing critique - pandemic response planning Key Concepts mythopoeia cultural contagion Practical Applications - use zombie tropes to explore crisis management - design narratives that subvert expectations Questions to Reflect On - What does the zombie’s exponential growth symbolize in modern society? - How can we repurpose zombie narratives for constructive change? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on zombies can oversimplify complex issues into a single horror motif. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dawn Of The Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn-of-the-dead/) [Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Night of the living dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-of-the-living-dead/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Resident evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resident-evil/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Virtual reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtual-reality/) [Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombie/) [Zombies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombies/) ## Related quotes > [“Demons, werewolves, zombies--they're all supposed to be for entertainment purposes only.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-naumann/demons-werewolves-zombies-they-re-all-supposed-to-be-for/) [Jen Naumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-naumann/) > [I aim my movies, as much as I can, at myself. I think that those movies have an interesting quality. They're very movieish. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-snyder/i-aim-my-movies-as-much-as-i-can-at-myself-i-think-that-those-movies/) [Zack Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-snyder/) > [Dawn Of The Dead is about how we're just a country cannibalizing itself, turning into one shopping mall, and everyone at the mall is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/dawn-of-the-dead-is-about-how-we-re-just-a-country-cannibalizing/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [Well, because Dawn of the Dead can take place anywhere and it shows that actually the entire planet is contaminated, I would say that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/well-because-dawn-of-the-dead-can-take-place-anywhere-and-it-shows/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [The 'Dead' films allow me to talk about things that a drama, say, won't. 'Dawn Of The Dead,' which was set in a shopping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/the-dead-films-allow-me-to-talk-about-things-that-a-drama-say-won-t/) [George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/) > [So it's conceivable I'll do something insane, or more insane than Dawn of the Dead. If that's possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/so-it-s-conceivable-i-ll-do-something-insane-or-more-insane-than-dawn/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [I read a lot, and I watch a lot of TV and film now. That's my homework. Like I said, my Netflix. I've watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-pudi/i-read-a-lot-and-i-watch-a-lot-of-tv-and-film-now-that-s-my-homework/) [Danny Pudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-pudi/) > [I remember, especially like when I was in high school, going to see like Dawn of the Dead and it was like mayhem in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-zombie/i-remember-especially-like-when-i-was-in-high-school-going-to-see/) [Rob Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-zombie/) > [You can watch 'Dawn of the Dead' and still sleep at night. Try that with 'The Day After'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/you-can-watch-dawn-of-the-dead-and-still-sleep-at-night-try-that-with/) [Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/) > [The Omen is one of my favorites. Even though I'm an atheist now, I was brought up Catholic and can remember thinking that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-frost/the-omen-is-one-of-my-favorites-even-though-i-m-an-atheist-now-i-was/) [Nick Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-frost/) > [Its difficult to do a genre film well, and it doesnt matter if youre talking vampire movies or Dawn of the Dead or The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/its-difficult-to-do-a-genre-film-well-and-it-doesnt-matter-if-youre/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [I love when violent, dangerous art is done by people who are not violent and dangerous. I love that when George Romero was making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-love-when-violent-dangerous-art-is-done-by-people-who-are-not/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > ['Night of the Living Dead,' then 'Dawn of the Dead' is a few weeks later, 'Day of the Dead' months later, and 'Land of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/night-of-the-living-dead-then-dawn-of-the-dead-is-a-few-weeks-later/) [George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/) > [If you look back at a film like 'Dawn of the Dead' - You can either watch it as a straight-up genre film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-whannell/if-you-look-back-at-a-film-like-dawn-of-the-dead-you-can-either-watch/) [Leigh Whannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-whannell/) > [To go back, the mistake that Universal Studios made with 'Dawn of the Dead' was that they didn't have enough money or cared enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-snyder/to-go-back-the-mistake-that-universal-studios-made-with-dawn-of-the/) [Zack Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-snyder/) ## More by Scott Westerfeld > [“She thought of the orchids spreading across the plains below, choking the life out of the other plants, out of the soil itself, selfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/she-thought-of-the-orchids-spreading-across-the-plains-below-choking/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [But it's always taking a risk, when you ... kiss someone new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/but-it-s-always-taking-a-risk-when-you-kiss-someone-new/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [The Rusty Ruins were the remains of an old city, a hulking reminder of back when there'd been way too many people, and everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/the-rusty-ruins-were-the-remains-of-an-old-city-a-hulking-reminder-of/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [High school wasn't a trial by fire or some ordeal that had to be survived. It was all a big joke. You just had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/high-school-wasn-t-a-trial-by-fire-or-some-ordeal-that-had-to-be/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [And you've actually watched it yourself?' I asked. 'Willingly?' Sure. I had to see it, you know? Besides we should be safe. Only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/and-you-ve-actually-watched-it-yourself-i-asked-willingly-sure-i-had/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Sometimes, the hardest thing was doing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sometimes-the-hardest-thing-was-doing-nothing/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [“You don't look very happy." Tally tried to smile. David had shared his biggest secret with her; she should tell him hers. But she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/you-don-t-look-very-happy-tally-tried-to-smile-david-had-shared-his/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Dude, I just watched you climb up a f\*cking building!-Lace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/dude-i-just-watched-you-climb-up-a-f-cking-building-lace/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [“Weird, even for one of us. Or maybe she's worse." "Worse how?" "Normal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/weird-even-for-one-of-us-or-maybe-she-s-worse-worse-how-normal/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Tally smiled. At least she was causing trouble to the end. "I'm Tally Youngblood," she said. "make me pretty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/tally-smiled-at-least-she-was-causing-trouble-to-the-end-i-m-tally/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Out here, you find out that the city fools you about how things really work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/out-here-you-find-out-that-the-city-fools-you-about-how-things-really/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [“Growing up like rewriting is simply admitting how clueless you were not so long ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/growing-up-like-rewriting-is-simply-admitting-how-clueless-you-were/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [“The beauty of the world…has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder. —Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/the-beauty-of-the-world-has-two-edges-one-of-laughter-one-of-anguish/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Cure for writer's block: blow something up(in the story)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/cure-for-writer-s-block-blow-something-up-in-the-story/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [You'd think that in a fight, NOT MOVING would be a bad habit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/you-d-think-that-in-a-fight-not-moving-would-be-a-bad-habit/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) [Explore all 321 Scott Westerfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) ## More Metaphors quotes > [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Because you continue to inhabit and believe your metaphors, you cannot see what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/because-you-continue-to-inhabit-and-believe-your-metaphors-you-cannot/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [May your spirit soar throughout the vast cathedral of your being. May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity. may your heart sing sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lockwood-huie/may-your-spirit-soar-throughout-the-vast-cathedral-of-your-being-may/) [Jonathan Lockwood Huie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lockwood-huie/) > [The cure for mixed metaphors, I have always found, is for the patient to be obliged to draw a picture of the result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-levin/the-cure-for-mixed-metaphors-i-have-always-found-is-for-the-patient/) [Bernard Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-levin/) > [Cheating is like eating fast food. You do it, you enjoy it, and then you end up feeling like shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/cheating-is-like-eating-fast-food-you-do-it-you-enjoy-it-and-then-you/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Time, space, and causality are only metaphors of knowledge, with which we explain things to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/time-space-and-causality-are-only-metaphors-of-knowledge-with-which/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Heart and Brain are the two lords of life. In the metaphors of ordinary speech and in the stricter language of science, we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/heart-and-brain-are-the-two-lords-of-life-in-the-metaphors-of/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [If you don't take the time to sharpen your axe, you'll spend your whole life hacking away at missed opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-toth/if-you-don-t-take-the-time-to-sharpen-your-axe-you-ll-spend-your/) [Blake Toth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-toth/) > [Life is like driving a car. You have to look left or right before you turn to your path, however you just have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-ntuli/life-is-like-driving-a-car-you-have-to-look-left-or-right-before-you/) [Simphiwe Ntuli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-ntuli/) > [I'm a product of a military dictatorship. Under a dictatorship, you cannot trust information or dispense it freely because of censorship. So Brazilians become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-muniz/i-m-a-product-of-a-military-dictatorship-under-a-dictatorship-you/) [Vik Muniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vik-muniz/) > [Behold the lost. Behold a Band-Aid. These shameful metaphors fought it through the teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chevelle/behold-the-lost-behold-a-band-aid-these-shameful-metaphors-fought-it/) Chevelle > [Life is similar to Boxing game.. Defeat is NOT declared when you fall down; It is declared when you refuse to Get Up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/life-is-similar-to-boxing-game-defeat-is-not-declared-when-you-fall/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [She does not love you. Your metaphors thrill her you are her poet. But that's all there's to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/she-does-not-love-you-your-metaphors-thrill-her-you-are-her-poet-but/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Friends are like petals on a flower; together they're beautiful and make people smile but eventually some petals fall off and drift off in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/superman/friends-are-like-petals-on-a-flower-together-they-re-beautiful-and/) Superman > [“Because everything you perceive is a metaphor for something your brain is not equipped to fully understand. God is as real as the clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/because-everything-you-perceive-is-a-metaphor-for-something-your/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) [Browse all 445 Metaphors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s feral nature, as in 28 Days. Or racial politics or fear of contagion or even the consumer unconscious (Night of the Living Dead, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead). We could play this game all night. But really, zombies are not “supposed to be metaphors.” They’re supposed to be friggin’ zombies. They follow the Zombie Rules: they rise from death to eat the flesh of the living, they shuffle in slow pursuit (or should, anyway), and most important, they multiply exponentially. They bring civilization down, taking all but the most resourceful, lucky and well-armed among us, whom they save for last. They make us the hunted; all of us. That’s the stuff zombies are supposed to do. Yes, they make excellent symbols, and metaphors, and have kick-ass mythopoeic resonance to boot. But their main job is to follow genre conventions, to play with and expand the Zombie Rules, to make us begin to see the world as a place colored by our own zombie contingency plans. […] Stories are the original virtual reality device; their internal rules spread out into reality around us like a bite-transmitted virus, slowly but inexorably consuming its flesh. They don’t just stand around “being metaphors” whose sole purpose is to represent things in the real world; they eat the real world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Westerfeld" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can-represent-the-oppressed-as-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Metaphors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can-represent-the-oppressed-as-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/scott-westerfeld-928_metaphors_sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can_38838.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/scott-westerfeld-928_metaphors_sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can_38838.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/scott-westerfeld-928_metaphors_sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can_38838.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s…” — Scott Westerfeld", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Scott Westerfeld", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.”...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can-represent-the-oppressed-as-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can-represent-the-oppressed-as-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```