Life As We Knew It

“And then it hit. Even though we knew it was going to, we were still shocked when the asteroid actually made contact with the moon. With our moon. At that second, I think we all realized that it was Our Moon and if it was attacked, then we were attacked.” 

The asteroid’s impact with the moon is viewed as an attack, and people’s reactions to this event foreshadow their reactions to its eventual consequences. The moon being hit is compared to a declaration of war, and as Miranda will soon see, there will be many casualties.

“But the moon wasn’t a half moon anymore. It was tilted and wrong and a three-quarter moon and it got larger, way larger….It was still our moon and it was still just a big dead rock in the sky, but it wasn’t benign anymore. It was terrifying, and you could feel the panic swell around us.” 

The moon is no longer a quiet, benign rock in the sky. It has moved closer to the earth, and its movement causes widespread panic. 

“‘Countries?’ I said. Somehow I’d forgotten there were other countries, that we shared the moon with other countries.” 

Miranda’s myopic view again highlights how naïve people can be a times when it comes to the world-at-large. The effects of the moon moving closer to earth impact people on a global scale, not just at a national or state level. With an event such as this, nowhere is really safe as the moon affects all parts of the world.

“‘Great,’ I said. ‘The world’s coming to an end, and we're fixing it with Band-Aids.’” 

Miranda’s mother devises a plan for the family to stock up on as much as they can at the supermarket. Though comical, this quote highlights both how inadequate people’s attempts to survive can be and how, given the circumstances, such solutions are only temporary fixes to larger problems.  

“Mom said later that it didn’t just mean oil companies would gouge us, but that there might not be enough gas and oil to heat all the houses in the winter. But I don’t think that’s true. It’s only May now, and there’s got to be time to get oil over here. They can’t let people freeze to death.” 

The quote has a political undercurrent, as Miranda’s mother dislikes the president, but it speaks to the larger issue of the availability of natural resources and their distribution. Miranda again fails to recognize the global scale of this shortage, as she cannot fathom that “they” would simply let people starve. The quote highlights mankind’s reliance and faith in the governing system as well.

“The phone’s worked most of the time, but we haven’t gotten many phone calls or made many. It’s like we were so occupied with taking care of ourselves we didn’t feel we could handle anybody else’s lives.” 

This quote foreshadows just how drastic things will become. When it comes down to it, survival outweighs civility, so everyone is content to take care of family first and foremost. Also, in the face of so much death, it can be easier not to know about the status of friends and acquaintances.

“‘This is the first time in a week that I’ve left Reverend Marshall,’ she said. ‘We’ve been sleeping at the church, just getting an hour or two of sleep each day so we can keep praying. Isn’t it wonderful, what God is doing?’” 

Megan’s religious fervor is an example of what the end times mean for a select group of people and her attitude differs from that of most of the people Miranda comes into contact with. For Megan, the death and destruction is a “wake-up call” from God, a warning that people need to ask forgiveness for their sins.

“One thing Matt did say to me was that no matter what the future is, we’re living through a very special time in history. He said that history makes us who we are, but we can make history, also, and that anyone can be a hero, if they just choose to be.” 

History plays a significant role in the novel, and Matt suggests that the moon event will be an important historical event for the family. He also alludes to the fact that man and his actions help to define history, and that by choosing to be heroes, they can change things for the better.

“I’m the one not caring. I’m the one pretending the earth isn’t shattering all around me because I don’t want it to be…I don’t want to have anything more to be afraid of. I didn’t start this diary for it to be a record of death”

This quote highlights the larger issue that people want to believe that things are better than they are, regardless of the evidence around them. Ultimately, Miranda is afraid of the unknown, so much so that not knowing is just as frightening as knowing the truth.

“‘How often do I have to explain this to you?’ Mom asked. ‘Family is all that matters. Dan has to worry about his family and you have to worry about yours….This isn’t the time for friendships, Miranda. We have to watch out only for ourselves.’” 

Miranda is shocked to hear her mother say that sharing is a luxury, which is the opposite of how she was raised. Her mother reminds her that in times of crisis, family is the most important thing to consider.

“The only way you can be the best at something is to be the best you can be.”

Matt tells Jonny that being the best is not the most important thing. What is important is being the best that you can be. It is a way of looking at life and dealing with the circumstances given to you.

“Here’s the funny thing about the world coming to an end. Once it gets going, it doesn’t seem to stop.” 

Though the novel is dystopian and bleak, Miranda manages to find humor in circumstances at times. This quote is a testament to that, and also shows that “the end” can actually happen in stages, which the family will soon find out.

“I feel so much better about things. After a day like today, I feel like we will make it through, that if we love each other and work hard enough, we’ll survive whatever might happen next.” 

Miranda is beginning to mature, and realizes that love and endurance are better motivating factors for survival than anger and frustration with things she cannot change.

“‘Maybe things will get better in a couple of months. Maybe it’ll take longer. If we don’t look toward the future, we have nothing to live for and I won’t have that.’” 

Miranda acts out selfishly by eating cookies and accusing her mother of starving them. Her mother says that they must ration their resources, maintain calm, and plan for the future. Things may get better or worse, but without hope, they will surely die.

“‘I know,’ I said, because I did know. Sometimes it’s safer to cry about people you don’t know than to think about people you really love.’” 

Miranda’s mother is concerned about her ex-husband and his wife, Lisa, and their unborn child. Miranda knows how her mother feels. This quote highlights how effective deflection is when faced with the possibility of losing someone you care for.

“But for that one moment I felt so weak, so helpless. I felt nothing but fear and despair and the most awful need to be anyplace else. I told myself it was hunger, but I knew that was a lie. As long as mom was alright, I could fool myself into thinking we’d all be all right. But even though I knew Mom could have fallen anytime and sprained her ankle anytime, this felt as though it was the beginning of the end.” 

Miranda’s inability to get help for her mother makes her feel useless. Moreover, she realizes just how much she relies on her mother—and by extension, her family—for her daily survival. Her mother’s injury is a reality check for Miranda.

“I’ll live. We’ll live. I will never make Mom face what Mrs. Wayne faced. My existence is the only gift I have left to give her, but it will have to do.” 

Miranda begins to see that her survival is the greatest gift she can give her mother and her family. As opposed to leaving or willing herself to die, she can stay strong for her family.

“I feel myself shriveling along with my world, getting smaller and harder. I’m turning into a rock, and in some ways that’s good, because rocks last forever.” 

Miranda is becoming increasingly hardened by the catastrophes around her. She is learning to be more resilient. The quote also highlights just how much some people need to distance themselves from emotional connections during times of great sacrifice and loss.

“‘But as long as we don’t know what the future is going to bring us, we owe it to ourselves to keep living. Things could get better. Somewhere people are working on solutions to all this. They have to be. It’s what people do. And our solution is to stay alive one day at a time. Everyone dies in increments, Miranda. Every day we’re one day closer to death. But there’s no reason to rush into it.’” 

This quote from Miranda’s mom affirms the human drive to move forward, and to make a better life. Failure is something that the human condition constantly strives against, and Miranda’s mom says that, though everyone moves closer to death every day, the point of life is to keep striving, despite the odds.

“I have no privacy, but I feel so alone.” 

Miranda is unhappy about having to move into the sunroom with her entire family. She has no space to feel alone. Ironically, the very act of being around everyone also makes her feel isolated. She feels she has nowhere to cry, or to process her thoughts, and also feels estranged from her family.

“We’re all alive. We’re all healthy. These are the good times.” 

This quote highlights the fact that Miranda needs to live for the moment, as opposed to living for a future that may never come. Though hope for the future is also instrumental in survival, in times of crises, appreciating the present is just as important as looking towards future hope.

“Do people ever realize how precious life is? I know I never did before. There was always time. There was always a future.” 

This poignant quote highlights the attitude Miranda had before the moon event. So many people live for a future happiness, never realizing how important the little, everyday things are to living a fulfilled life.

“The kindest thing I could do would be to stay where I was and let the coldness kill me. Mrs. Nesbitt had known how to die. Couldn’t I learn from her?” 

In a strange twist of fate, kindness is conceived of as allowing oneself to die when the outcome is that others, such as family, might live. Miranda knows that if she dies, her family, especially her brother Jonny, will have more resources to go on living.