Survival Guilt
As opposed to survivor guilt, survival guilt is a term applicable to the emotional turmoil that is often portrayed in end of the world scenarios. Survival under such circumstances inevitably requires decision-making that prompts a self-evaluation of the very basis of one’s humanity. This moment arrives for the Miranda in the wake of Mrs. Nesbitt’s death:
“What I really wanted to do was go through her kitchen cabinets and see what food she had left, but the very thought of it made me excited and that didn't seem like the proper way to feel. It made me feel like a cannibal.”
Understated Foreshadowing
Imagery is subtly used to convey that the perspective of the narration is that of a typical teenager. At the same time, the imagery is also ironically underplayed foreshadowing of things to come:
“This moon thing is supposed to happen around 9:30 Wednesday night…They said asteroids hit the moon pretty often, which is how the moon gets its craters, but this one is going to be the biggest asteroid ever to hit it and on a clear night you should be able to see the impact when it happens, maybe even with the naked eye but certainly with binoculars. They made it sound pretty dramatic, but I still don't think it's worth three homework assignments.”
Serious Foreshadowing
The foreshadowing gets more serious afterwards. In the wake of asteroid collision with the moon, things are changing in a way that becomes noticeable even to self-involved teenage girls with more important things on their minds than astronomical Armageddon:
“I woke up this morning and immediately sensed that things were different. It's hard to explain. It was cooler than it has been (which is good), but the sky was this weird gray color, not exactly like it was cloudy or even foggy. More like someone had pulled a translucent gray shade over the blue sky.”
The Damage Done
Imagery is finally used to powerful effect to reveal the full extent to which earlier foreshadowing underplayed expectations. In fact, things turn out far worse than anyone imagined. The full effects of the devastation caused by "the moon thing" won’t truly be known for longer still, but the first incoming reports are devastating enough:
"Staten Island and the eastern section of Long Island are completely submerged. Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard are no longer visible. Providence, Rhode Island—in fact, most of Rhode Island—can no longer be seen. The islands off the coast of the Carolinas are gone. Miami and Fort Lauderdale are being battered.”
