In chapter 5 Randy is woken up by a deep and continuous vibration within the house. As he gets up he starts to believe that it is an earthquake which is unusual in the Florida area. Moments later Randy is joined by Peyton, Benjamin and Helen outside of the house. While the family is discussing what is going on a flash of light appears and Peyton, who is looking right at the flash, is blinded. It is then clear that the United States is under attack and is experiencing nuclear war. Because of Peyton's blindness Randy is forced to go out of the house in search of his friend Dan Gunn, who is a doctor, so she can receive proper care. After finding Dan in a hotel room trying to revive a heart attack victim Randy explains Peyton's condition and he says that she'll probably be alright. After their meeting he is given eye drops and a sedative for Peyton and instructed to let her rest in a dark room. The story then takes the point of view of Florence, the telegraph worker. She and her friend Alice head over to the telegraph office where Florence tries to contact other cities about their situation. As she is trying to contact Jacksonville though she receives no further responses and comes to the realization that Jacksonville has been blown off the map. Edgar, the owner of the towns bank, runs out of money and can not come to terms with the fact that government is gone and money is completely useless. He closes the bank he runs, returns home and kills himself.
Analysis of chapter five: This chapter is pretty much the climax of the book. We see that all communication between the U.S. and Russia have ceased and then Russia decides to retaliate on the accidental U.S. bombing of their base. We also see character development within the story. Benjamin, a typically quiet kid, takes a small leadership role while Randy walks around the house aimlessly. It becomes clear at this point that Benjamin will become a useful asset in Randy's fight for survival.
In chapter 6 an emergency channel is discovered and Randy learns that the destruction is on a nationwide scale as earlier feared. Most of the major cities, including Washington D.C., have been destroyed and besides for an acting president, which is the former secretary of health, education and welfare, the country is essentially leaderless. The (somewhat) good news is that the U.S. is retaliating against the Russian enemy despite its crippling situation. Showing that the nation is reflective of Randy and must fight for its survival. After learning all the details of what is happening the family worries about Mark, Randy's brother and Helen's husband, who has unfortunately been killed. Dan Gunn visits the house as promised and takes a look at how Peyton's eyes are doing. His original prediction of her being okay is correct as she can begin to see better with the eye drops and rest. Later in the day Helen and Randy decide to visit one of his neighbors Sam Hazzard, a retired Navy admiral. This is the point in which they learn that SAC, the base that Mark was stationed at during the bombings, is completely destroyed. They all hold hope that Mark is alive in the underground bunker that he took shelter in but their is some doubt. Hazzard also makes the assumption that all of America's allies in Europe have been destroyed as he can not receive any radio signals from them. After their meeting Fort Repose loses power and the city is forever dark.
Analysis of chapter six: This chapter explains the overall picture of what is happening in the book. All surrounding cities in Florida is destroyed but Fort Repose is spared and all other major cities in the country are completely off the map. The point of this chapter is pretty much a filler chapter and with the end of the chapter we can see further conflict start to arise with the loss of power. Within this chapter we can also see strong characters, such as Randy and Helen, start to lose hope; specifically for the Mark situation. They want to believe he is alive but they know the chances of that are very slim.
Analysis of chapter five: This chapter is pretty much the climax of the book. We see that all communication between the U.S. and Russia have ceased and then Russia decides to retaliate on the accidental U.S. bombing of their base. We also see character development within the story. Benjamin, a typically quiet kid, takes a small leadership role while Randy walks around the house aimlessly. It becomes clear at this point that Benjamin will become a useful asset in Randy's fight for survival.
In chapter 6 an emergency channel is discovered and Randy learns that the destruction is on a nationwide scale as earlier feared. Most of the major cities, including Washington D.C., have been destroyed and besides for an acting president, which is the former secretary of health, education and welfare, the country is essentially leaderless. The (somewhat) good news is that the U.S. is retaliating against the Russian enemy despite its crippling situation. Showing that the nation is reflective of Randy and must fight for its survival. After learning all the details of what is happening the family worries about Mark, Randy's brother and Helen's husband, who has unfortunately been killed. Dan Gunn visits the house as promised and takes a look at how Peyton's eyes are doing. His original prediction of her being okay is correct as she can begin to see better with the eye drops and rest. Later in the day Helen and Randy decide to visit one of his neighbors Sam Hazzard, a retired Navy admiral. This is the point in which they learn that SAC, the base that Mark was stationed at during the bombings, is completely destroyed. They all hold hope that Mark is alive in the underground bunker that he took shelter in but their is some doubt. Hazzard also makes the assumption that all of America's allies in Europe have been destroyed as he can not receive any radio signals from them. After their meeting Fort Repose loses power and the city is forever dark.
Analysis of chapter six: This chapter explains the overall picture of what is happening in the book. All surrounding cities in Florida is destroyed but Fort Repose is spared and all other major cities in the country are completely off the map. The point of this chapter is pretty much a filler chapter and with the end of the chapter we can see further conflict start to arise with the loss of power. Within this chapter we can also see strong characters, such as Randy and Helen, start to lose hope; specifically for the Mark situation. They want to believe he is alive but they know the chances of that are very slim.
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