Shaun Of The Dead: Narrative Resolution

 SHAUN OF THE DEAD

Shaun's inner conflict is represented through Pete and Ed who are extreme versions of him: 

- Pete represents the responsibility that Shaun desires and Ed represent the immature side of him that he doesn't want to let go of; which is the main reason for the issues in the film and dilemmas in the relationships that occur. 

- SOTD is filled with scenes where Edgar Wright draws parallels between zombie-like behavior and the way people act in modern society. However, he doesn't just restrict himself to one target. in the title sequence, he shows people working dead-end jobs in retail and performing repetitive zombie-like actions, however, he also depicts the people stuck in the pub as drunk soul-less zombie-like figures. By including this, it's almost suggesting that people who are too bound to either responsibility or immaturity, will inevitably end up like zombies, slaves to routine. Only those who can escape and find a balance between them can hope to survive and live a satisfying life. This is reflected through the main cast of characters: Pete is bound to responsibility while Ed is bound to immaturity, and in the end, they both end up becoming zombies. Shaun was the only one who had a chance at surviving because by the end of the movie he finally figures out a balance. 

- The zombie context doesn't just exist to mock horror conventions, it's an intricate metaphor that is crucial to both Shaun's character arc and the entire purpose of the film. 

- Immaturity: David takes the zombie mission way too seriously and is fine with criticizing Shaun's decisions and ideas (even though they are much better than his).  Ed doesn't take the mission seriously at all but he never really provokes anyone (even though he still gets his fair share of criticism). These attitudes are responsible for their demise in the end. David gets overwhelmed by the situation and basically gives up, Ed acts too relaxed in a crucial moment and suffers 'cause of it. Shaun kind of manages to strike a middle ground where he occasionally makes reckless decisions but at the same time shows a lot of genuine care for the safety of the others and is easily the most proactive and useful. Of course, due to this balance, he ends up surviving. 

Goals 

- The film explores the idea of change on a social and personal level through characters: David, Shaun, and Ed.

- As revealed at the end of the film, David was actually in love with Liz and only hung out with Dianne in college in order to get closer to Liz. Davids's goal was personal. No one else supports his goal as both Liz and Diane dislike him after he admits it. This desire is entirely motivated by himself. As with the outcome, David never ends up with Liz because he doesn't have a support system as well as because he immediately dies. 

- Next is Ed. Everyone else in the movie wants him to grow up, get a job and learn to clean up after himself, and essentially make something of himself. But Ed really doesn't want to do that as he's perfectly happy where he is so his goal is social. In the end, Ed never changes his ways and stays true to his ideals until the very last shot of him holding a rifle, joking around with Shaun. He also turns into a zombie and lives in the Shed which was subtly foreshadowed earlier in the movie when Pete said, "You wanna live like an animal?! go live in that shed!".

- Then there's Shaun, who literally writes out that he wants to get back with Liz and fix his relationship with his mum and sort his life out. "GO ROUND MUMS, GET LIZ BACK, SORT LIFE OUT". Unlike David and Ed, Shaun ends up gaining both of the qualities needed to succeed with his goal (social and personal). He becomes committed to it and is surrounded by people who also want to see him get his goal and are willing to support him on the way. It's no surprise that Shaun actually gets what he wants. 

- Overall this highlights how personal goals will likely not work out if you don't have support from others. David was never going to end up with Liz no matter what; While goals that are placed entirely onto you by others (Ed) likely won't work out due to your lack of commitment to the goal. Ultimately, what your life is like is partially your choice and Ed liked the way his life was. To truly change, you need both a strong commitment to who you want to be, realistic expectations, and kind patient people to support you. Shaun was the only one with all of these things and of course, was the only one to succeed as a result.

Shaun's Journey

- The first act of SOTD does a great job at establishing Shaun's character. We learn a lot about his character through his interactions with Liz, Ed, Pete, Philip, and the teenagers from his work. Interestingly, right before the zombie apocalypse is when he reaches his lowest; Liz finally breaks up with him and Pete after trying to be peaceful with Shaun and ed, fully loses his patience with them.   Therefore encapsulating how the zombie horror part of the film is where he redeems himself. All this sets the stage for the zombie apocalypse. In the beginning, it doesn't impact Shaun at all which highlights how society was already zombie-like to the point where you can't even tell a difference. 

- One of the moments that make us root for Shaun is when he decides to save Liz "I have to know if she's alright" "because I love her". It's such a simple gesture, however, it's the only point so far in the movie where he's actually managed to do something for someone else without them nagging him. Then Shaun actually manages to convince Liz to go with him by telling her to put their troubles aside and focus on staying safe/surviving. 

- Then there's Philip's death scene which is a sad moment, but it allowed Shaun to develop as a character. Revealed through the change in vocab. "He's not my dad, he's my step-dad" vs "he was my dad". Realizing right before he's about to die that the guy you didn't get along with and distanced yourself from for years genuinely did love you, and is asserting that he always thought that you had the potential to do great things and making you promise to take care of your mum before dying gives Shaun a motif to succeed. More importantly, Philip's comment about motivation summarises the entire conflict of the movie.

- As the group goes towards Winchester, there's an intense vibe between Shaun and Ed which brought up Shaun's outburst in front of the Winchester towards Ed. This could imply how Shaun is putting his immaturity to the side and sort of confronting it. It is unusually blunt for his character however it was justified due to the fact that Ed was too relaxed throughout the entire situation. And in that scene, he was about to ruin a high-risk scheme that they planned out. 

• This could also depict how the mission is beginning to affect Shaun personally. The situation becomes more daunting and he desperately wants everyone to live. Time may be running out so he finally has the motivation to make amends with everyone who has failed. Ed has no personal investment in this mission and is way more chill, however, Shaun is starting to realize that Ed may be dragging him down. 

- David doubts Shaun when he leaves the Winchester and leaves the rest of the group in hopes to lure the zombies away. Of course, Shaun comes back and this is the first one of his schemes that have actually fully worked. He has evolved quite a bit at this point. He's now willing to go above and beyond for everyone's safety because he genuinely cares for them and he also wants to make amends. 

- Eventually, we get Barbara's death scene which is a huge turning point for Shaun. Their relationship ends here, and it's touching that the last thing she does is appreciate Shaun for something that he did. Something that no one has really done yet. It's even sadder when you realize that she would have never received the flowers if she hadn't have found them in the bin earlier where Shaun threw them out in a moment of weakness and despair. It perfectly communicates how Shaun has grown and has perfectly good intentions but he just needs to follow through with them. 

- Basement scene: Shaun and the others have been fighting off zombies all day and had no time to process the situation. Now that he's alone, everything begins to sink in. Everything he's had to do is lost etc. And there's no hope as they're trapped in the ground and even if they escape, they have to keep fighting to survive. Therefore, Shaun blames himself for this. Shaun's mission to change and become more responsible wasn't necessarily halted by the zombie apocalypse. He feels like a failure for not being able to save anyone. This allows us to look at the previous scenes in the movie and really understand the situation that he's in. Not only is Shaun living a bad lifestyle, but he seriously lacks self-esteem and self-confidence. The way Philip raised him didn't help but when you consider how much Shaun messes up in the movie, especially in the first half of the film. He believes that no matter how hard he tries he'll just keep screwing up. However, Liz reassures him and says that he did all he could which was true. 

• Since they see no escape, they begin to consider suicide. "you don't wanna die single do you?" is a huge turning point as it highlights how Shaun and Liz will get back together. 

- Then Liz offers Shaun a cigarette. This is symbolic of Liz's change of character, as earlier on in the movie, she criticized Shaun for it as it didn't meet her past middle-class ideals. Shaun can't turn his life around overnight. He can't wake up one morning and ditch everything that made him who he is. hen Shaun threw his cigs at the bin he knew he was being unrealistic, almost mocking Liz for expecting of him what felt like impossible changes. However, the problem wasn't that Liz's expectations were too high, the problem was that he put off trying to change because it was too hard for him and he didn't think it was possible. It was so much easier to chill with Ed and play video games.

• This can be relatable to many people out there including me. When you try your best but something is holding you back. It usually stems from your past and it innates laziness or lack of motivation which can have a massive impact on your life causing you to think that you aren't good enough. To defeat it, you have to get away from the thing it stems from (in this case Ed) which can be difficult to do. Change is difficult however it's something we all have to face at certain points in our life. It's difficult to change without some hindrances, however, it's gradual progress and the ending reflects this perfectly. To Shaun, it really seems like he will never be able to change but the cigarette is a symbol of hope; And it's ironically the type of thing that Shaun is trying to move on from. However, interestingly he doesn't light the cigarette which could be important. 

- Ed end scene: Shaun isn't just saying goodbye to his best friend, he's definitively leaving behind who he previously was into the next stage of his life. It's sort of touching how Ed stays true to who he is until the very end. It's going to be difficult for Shaun to move on however Ed inspires him and lets him know that whatever happens, he has to keep trying. After that, Shaun gives Ed the cigarette and lights it.

After all, Shaun doesn't need that cigarette. After everything he's gone through, he's finally ready to move on and leave it behind, along with the rifle and Ed himself. (Also the repetition of fart joke to symbolize their friendship). 

- The entire conflict of the film is contained in Shaun's head. The zombies aren't necessarily the antagonists, but they are a force that pushes out the characters into extreme situations and allows them to see what really matters. The zombies can only be defeated once Shaun has finally gathered up the strength to keep his head up and persevere. This all shows how one bad day shouldn't let you give up on trying. Shaun has lost more than he has won yet he still turns out to be satisfied with what he has at the end, as it was worth it since he finally found himself. He hasn't necessarily become fully grown up however he found a balance and he'll continue to grow from there onwards.

- Shaun and Liz have merged their styles and aesthetics to create a comfortable environment for both in the end. This could be a comparison to Daves, Di's, and Liz's cramped middle-class home that almost seemed claustrophobic.