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Chapter 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Z for Zachariah, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power and Control
Gender Dynamics and Survival
Loneliness and Isolation
Nuclear Fallout and Societal Collapse
Hope and Resilience
Summary
Analysis
(June 3) Four days have passed, and Loomis’s condition has not changed much. His temperature stays around 99.5 to 101 degrees, which he says is normal for the middle stage of radiation sickness. With him now staying in the house, Ann feels motivated to cook real meals again. She also begins replanting the garden, even though it’s already June. While she is digging, Faro suddenly perks up, and when she looks up, Ann sees Loomis standing by the gatepost—his first time out of bed. When he learns she is digging by hand because there is no gas for the tractor, he explains that they could get fuel from the store’s gas pumps by removing the motors and operating them by hand. Ann had not thought of this and feels a little embarrassed but also hopeful.
Loomis’s suggestion about obtaining gas from the store’s pumps marks an important shift in the valley’s balance of power. Until now, Ann has been solely responsible for survival, managing every decision on her own. Loomis’s practical knowledge introduces a new dynamic where expertise translates directly into influence. In addition to his knowledge, Loomis is also an adult, which gives him a natural sense of authority over Ann. Ann’s reaction, both embarrassed and hopeful, captures the complicated emotions that accompany losing some independence but gaining partnership.
Themes
That evening, Ann and Loomis walk back to the house together and stop to watch the sunset. Loomis rests his hand on Ann’s shoulder, and she feels proud to be helping him recover. After dinner, it turns cold, so she builds a fire and offers to play the piano to help pass the time. Though she is shy and not a great musician, Loomis is delighted, as he has not heard music in over a year. Ann plays a few songs from her lesson books and then softly plays hymns she learned for Sunday School.
The evening Ann and Loomis share watching the sunset is a fleeting moment of intimacy and comfort. Ann’s plays the piano to return some normalcy to the world, a luxury in their post-apocalyptic reality. She plays songs from her childhood, which remind her of a simpler time and notably have religion at their core. Loomis’s delight shows how starved he is for experiences that remind him of humanity’s gentler aspects.
Themes
When Ann finishes, Loomis says it was the best evening he ever spent. Surprised, Ann asks if he means since the war, but he insists, a little sharply, that he meant ever. His reaction makes her uneasy. That night, as she lies in bed, she reflects on the hymns and memories of Sunday School. She remembers the book she learned to read from, The Bible Letter Book, “A is for Adam” and “Z is for Zachariah.” As a child, Ann presumed that if Adam was the first man on Earth, that must mean Zachariah was the last man.
Later that night, just as Ann is about to sneak out to the cave to sleep, she hears Loomis shouting in his sleep. She listens from the hallway and realizes he is having a nightmare where he is arguing with Edward. At one point, he yells, “Get away. I warn you,” followed by a painful groan. Ann is frightened, unsure if this is just a bad dream or a sign that his sickness is returning. She decides to stay in the house in case he needs her. Back in her room, she wraps up in blankets, and Faro comes to sleep beside her.
Themes
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