The place setting of "Z for Zachariah", in particular, the valley, is very vague. Since the format of the book is set from Ann’s point of view, we scarcely know much about what goes on the outside of “her” world. This complicates the story a little, because if a reader were to flip through and read a couple of pages, he/she would have no idea what was going on.
We know from the book that the valley is somewhere in North America because Loomis had to travel a great distance by foot with limited supplies (e.g. food), in order to find the valley. The valley as we know it is roughly “U” in shape with roads leading away from it to the North and South. We know this because Loomis entered the valley from the North and Ann left the valley at the end of the novel from the South end of the valley.
"I am tired of hiding. if you will come to the south end of the valley, I will meet you at the flat rock where the road curves."
The valley is described as lush and green but of course this could have been an exaggeration to create a sense of environment, and because the world had just been through a nuclear war, supposedly turning all things into deadness. Throughout the whole novel, the narrator stays in the valley.
In the movie/TV show, “Play for Today – Z for Zachariah”(1984) which was based on the novel “Z for Zachariah,” the movie was set in a Welsh valley which gave the setting a wet, temperate climate when the actual setting in North America would probably have been slightly drier.
The valley is described as lush and green but of course this could have been an exaggeration to create a sense of environment, and because the world had just been through a nuclear war, supposedly turning all things into deadness. Throughout the whole novel, the narrator stays in the valley.
In the movie/TV show, “Play for Today – Z for Zachariah”(1984) which was based on the novel “Z for Zachariah,” the movie was set in a Welsh valley which gave the setting a wet, temperate climate when the actual setting in North America would probably have been slightly drier.
The context that the novel was written in is very similar to that of other novels based on the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. Many of the elements that have been kept are the themes of humanity and survival. In “Z for Zachariah”, this is also complimented by Ann’s naiveté in dealing with Loomis, but also her independence and determination while standing her ground against him.
"I will not harm an unarmed man".
The TV series “Jericho” is also based in America after a nuclear holocaust and is a dramatising story of survival for the people of Jericho. Another similar tale of survival is the popular, new TV series “Lost” where a group of stranded survivors must fight with every means possible to hold out until they are extracted from their island.
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