Life As We Knew It

Miranda’s journaling allows her to bear witness to what happens, not only to her family, but to the world, in the aftermath of the moon event. Mankind has always had a desire, and a need, to keep an account of things. Miranda says time and again that she is not sure why she continues to write in her journal, but she never stops. Throughout the novel, there are numerous references to history. Miranda even studies history at home when she is no longer attending school. As her mother says, they may not have a future, but they so have a history. Journaling is one way to keep an account of what is taking place. By extension, it also connects Miranda to her mother, who is a writer. Before Mrs. Nesbitt dies, she admits that she has burned all her letters and journals so that no one will read them, thereby highlighting the way journaling functions as a form of remembrance. By the end of the novel, Miranda journals so that she can always “remember Life as We Knew It, life as we know it” (227).

As a result of the catastrophic events that follow from the moon event, many families are decimated and destroyed. People are left without parents, siblings and children. For some, life becomes all about trying to find stranded loved ones. For others, like Miranda’s family, life becomes a testament to the bond between family members. Family becomes symbolic of survival and sacrifice. Some family members die so that others might live and have a fighting chance. Miranda, her mother and brother Matt are all content to eat less so that Jonny might live on after they die. When the family becomes sick, Miranda braves the elements to try and get them help. The novel shows that when almost everything else is taken from a person, family becomes the glue that keeps the world together, especially for Miranda. 

The moon becomes a symbol of the unknown. When the moon is pushed closer to the earth, Miranda notes how ominous it seems in the sky, so much so that she is afraid to even look at it. Though the clouds and dust that eventually cover the sky have terrible consequences, she is relieved that they blot out the moon. The moon also represents fear in that no one predicted the extent to which it might affect earth. Scientists did not expect worldwide catastrophes, such as the earthquakes and tsunamis that destroy entire cities. For Miranda, it is startling that something as seemingly inanimate and peaceful as the moon, something so beautiful and silent, could have such a horrific effect on the earth.