Randy goes to the bank looking to cash a five thousand dollar check. He goes to the grocery store and buys a vast amount of food, surprising the checkout clerk and the large amount of customers waiting behind him. At the liquor store, Randy buys a case and a half of bourbon and a bottle of scotch, telling the owner he is expecting guests. He doesn't want to tell people about the bomb for fear of causing panic. Randy's neighbors, the Henrys are an African-American family. Malachai Henry is Randy's gardner. Randy feels that he has an obligation to tell the family about the emergency and does. Randy is surprised to find out that Malachai is not shocked by the news. He has been reading about the situation that the world is in and thought that something like this could happen. Malachai reminds Randy of the well on the Henry's property, which means they will have water no matter the circumstances. After Malachai is gone, Randy's girlfriend Lib shows up. She tries to get Randy to a northern city and get a job. This is before she knows about the bomb. Before he can tell her, the town doctor shows up at the door. His name is Dan Gunn. He tells them both at that moment. Meanwhile in the Mediterranean, American ships detect a spy plane overhead.
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Analysis:
In Chapter 3 we see a few new major characters. Helen and her kids, the doctor Dan Gunn, the Henrys, and the McGoverns. All of these people know about the attack. This group of people will be part of Randy's posse after the war. The doctor's skills and Henry's resources will be a big help later on. Bill and Lavinia McGovern seem like they could be potential antagonists. They are not very good at adapting to the circumstances and seem very unlikely to survive in the event of a nuclear war.
In Chapter 3 we see a few new major characters. Helen and her kids, the doctor Dan Gunn, the Henrys, and the McGoverns. All of these people know about the attack. This group of people will be part of Randy's posse after the war. The doctor's skills and Henry's resources will be a big help later on. Bill and Lavinia McGovern seem like they could be potential antagonists. They are not very good at adapting to the circumstances and seem very unlikely to survive in the event of a nuclear war.
In Omaha, Mark is saying goodbye to his wife and children, who are flying to the safety of Fort Repose while he stays behind at his post with the military. Mark tells his family that he’ll be safe in the underground headquarters, or “the Hole,” but they know it’s unlikely. Back in Fort Repose, Randy gets oil, kerosene, and gasoline, and visits his girlfriend, Lib McGovern. The McGoverns dislike Randy, and don't want to believe his news of war. However, Randy is able to convince them it’s better to be prepared than not to be. In the Mediterranean, Ensign James “Peewee” Cobb, a young pilot who wants to prove he is more than a “peewee,” follows an enemy spy plane. While trying to fire, he accidentally bombs the port of Latakia, hitting a train and creating a big explosion. A major naval base, Latakia was occupied by the Russians, and the bombing is seen as an attack. At work in “the Hole,” Mark talks about the bombing with a General. Washington has not issued any statements of apology, and Russia is not talking. Mark is worried that the Russians now have an excuse for war and have ordered an attack. Mark’s wife Helen and their son and daughter, Ben Franklin and Peyton, arrive at the Orlando airport. The children guess what is happening, and Helen notices how calmly they take the news of war. They have been around war all their lives so this seems normal to them. Washington finally has a statement on the Latakia incident, calling it a “regrettable mechanical error,” but it is too late. Russia does not respond. Four incoming missiles are seen on radar, one fired from a Russian base and the rest from submarines at sea. The war has begun.
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Analysis:
In Chapter 4 there is some hard decisions to be made. Mark says goodbye to the family and Randy spills the news about the unfolding chaos. A lot of trouble popped up in the Mediterranean when a rookie pilot accidentally bombed the Syrian port Latakia. The White-house took a little too long with their apology which resulted in Russia firing four missiles. I find it sad that the kids are so numb to the news of war and violence in general. That poor young pilot has started a war.
In Chapter 4 there is some hard decisions to be made. Mark says goodbye to the family and Randy spills the news about the unfolding chaos. A lot of trouble popped up in the Mediterranean when a rookie pilot accidentally bombed the Syrian port Latakia. The White-house took a little too long with their apology which resulted in Russia firing four missiles. I find it sad that the kids are so numb to the news of war and violence in general. That poor young pilot has started a war.
- “Peewee may be a mouse aboard ship, but he’s a tiger in a Tiger. If I sent him up with orders to shoot the moon, he’d try.” (Chapter 4, p. 61) These words describe Ensign James “Peewee” Cobb, the meek-looking U.S. fighter pilot who accidentally bombs the Syrian port of Latakia, setting off a global war. The incident shows the role of accident and foolish pride in war. A catastrophic war begins, in part, because wimpy Peewee has something to prove
- . “You see, all their lives, ever since they’ve known anything, they’ve lived under the shadow of war—atomic war. For them the abnormal has become normal. All their lives they have heard nothing else, and they expect it.” (Chapter 4, p. 74) Although the prospect of a nuclear attack is terrifying to the adults in the novel, Helen notes that her children take the news with an eerie calm. They have been raised during the Cold War, a time when a thermonuclear showdown between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was a constant threat. Schoolchildren were taught to duck and cover in case of a nuclear bomb, and fallout shelters were established in every community. Pat Frank finds it sad that children could grow accustomed to such a nightmarishly abnormal state of world affairs.
- “Far to the east [Ensign Cobb] picked out Mount Carmel, and a river, and beyond were the hills of Megiddo, also called Armageddon.” (Chapter 4, p. 70).
The title of the book, Alas, Babylon, comes from The Revelation to St. John in the Bible. In The Revelation, the final battle is said to begin at Armageddon. Armageddon is Hebrew for “hills of Megiddo.”