Walking Corpses & Conscious Plants: Possibilist Ecologies in ...

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Bingham 58 ethic” (13). As this series of events reveals though, violence is often not the manifestation of simple battles between good and evil. The graphic dimensions of this episode can help underscore problems of clear distinction between the two extremes. The boundary between the two states of being is not static but bent to fit a particular perspective. Since Shane had been an officer of the law and friend of the Grimes family, his belief that ousting Rick would somehow improve his position is flawed and appears to be motivated by extreme loss. Of course Carl has been damaged by the ordeal, but Rick has experienced a violation of trust and is affected as well. Once an ally, Shane became an enemy after traumatic experience; this suggests his transformation isn't essentially different from the change experienced by those who become zombies. In this respect, Rick's claim that killing in this case is different is somewhat contradictory. This puts readers into a space of tension with the comic book's possible world. Even though killing Shane was a justifiable act of defense, it definitely was not an act Carl had wanted to commit. Here readers are prompted to empathize with Rick and Carl. Despite being aware of why shooting Shane was absolutely necessary, readers can also understand why losing him is more emotional and painful. Accordingly, bearing witness to this violence has lasting implications for all those involved, including the readers. Cavarero asserts that all spectators are affected by such an experience. She states, “To be spectators, by means of images, of the pain of others does not signify that their suffering is not endured materially” (Cavarero 55). Though she is referring to photographic images, if we consider this statement in the context of Lewis' theory of possible worlds it still rings true. The reason why we can relate to the characters in this story is because they do suffer and endure the events depicted.
Bingham 59 Returning to the full page image which closes the first chapter, the emphasis upon nature reinforces that struggle is an unavoidable part of existence. Nearly all of the readers interacting with the series have experienced betrayal or loss, even if not to the extent the characters portrayed have. Moreover, pairing the intensity of such emotion within a scenic setting makes the content of the text feel more accessible and easier to empathize with. Similarly, Ledbetter claims that “Story-telling allows me to play with as many personal selves as I can possible tell stories about in order to discover my own identity” (5). Different characters can act as embodiments for particular aspects of our personalities or behavioral patterns. Conversely, they can also serve as models for traits or archetypes which we might never hope to emulate but can imagine nonetheless. Their containment inside a fictional context makes this type of contemplation conceivable, though. If the characters were written and drawn to demonstrate they possessed the belief that their world was fabricated, The Walking Dead would be an entirely different story. According to Lewis, “If we want the theoretical benefits that the talk of possibilia brings, the most straightforward way to gain honest title to them is to accept such talk as the literal truth” (4). Some off the benefits of engaging this particular possible world are: developing a better understanding of what causes violence, honing the ability to differentiate between different kinds of violence, figuring out how violence effects those exposed straightaway and in the long-run, and potentially finding alternate solutions to using violence as a means to achieve an end. Such considerations can be empowering for an individual. They can promote psychological change and alter the way an individual perceives him or herself in relation to society. But as the narrative reveals, these distinctions are often subject to change and difficult to uphold. Becoming aware of their
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Walking Corpses & Conscious Plants:
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Bingham 3 I owe an extreme debt of
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Bingham 5 Introduction My project e
Page 7 and 8: Bingham 7 personal growth through t
Page 9 and 10: Bingham 9 beliefs. Seeing a possibl
Page 11 and 12: Bingham 11 zombie exceeds death as
Page 13 and 14: Bingham 13 the validity of singular
Page 15 and 16: Bingham 15 Chapter I: The History o
Page 17 and 18: Bingham 17 Swamp Thing. According t
Page 19 and 20: Bingham 19 instructional profession
Page 21 and 22: Bingham 21 Another artist who worke
Page 23 and 24: Bingham 23 action into panels (Cohn
Page 25 and 26: Bingham 25 sponsorship. He designed
Page 27 and 28: Bingham 27 Charles Moulton. Marston
Page 29 and 30: Bingham 29 Frederick Wertham prompt
Page 31 and 32: Bingham 31 “graphic novel” was
Page 33 and 34: Bingham 33 what is or isn't a graph
Page 35 and 36: Bingham 35 Works Cited Benton, Mike
Page 37 and 38: Bingham 37 Chapter II: Transfusion
Page 39 and 40: Bingham 39 conflict or war. This ex
Page 41 and 42: Bingham 41 and dismember other bodi
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Page 53 and 54: Bingham 53 Amy (Figure 10 & 11). Th
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Page 67 and 68: Bingham 67 immediate proximity of t
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Page 75 and 76: Bingham 74 Works Cited Berger, Arth
Page 77 and 78: Bingham 76 APPENDIX A Fig. 1. Openi
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Bingham 109 by the inexorable progr
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Bingham 113 General Avery Carlton S
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Bingham 115 dismembered body which
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Bingham 119 authority. This subtle,
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Bingham 123 affect. Apart from this
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Bingham 125 acts of fictional chara
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Bingham 127 resemblance, their comp
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Bingham 129 experience. The creator
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Bingham 131 justified. What follows
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Bingham 133 present to witness it t
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Bingham 135 If we read each charact
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Bingham 137 able to issue an urgent
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1 According to comics historian Rob
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Bingham 140 - Interview by David Ro
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