In Zone One by Colson Whitehead, the author reveals that humans aren't that different from zombies in post-apocalyptic New York. Both groups return to a position that was familiar to them in their previous existence and in this way both attempt to restore their past. Through the observations of Mark Spitz, a man representative of what is average or normal for humanity, Whitehead reveals the reaction of people from diverse pasts to the inevitable apocalypse caused by the zombie threat. Likewise, Spitz explains the nature of zombies during the apocalypse through some of his first-hand encounters with the undead and by focusing on the life he believes each of the monsters lived before transforming. This creates a difference in the analysis of each group because Spitz is able to provide a more detailed account of the behavior exhibited by humans. Whitehead shows that while humans and zombies have separate intentions in the post-apocalyptic world, both find a sense of normality by recreating their past. Within the narrow confines of one of the many safe zones created by survivors in the post-apocalyptic world, Spitz is able to observe the similar actions of multiple humans at once. While reflecting on survivors in Spitz's own camp, Whitehead reveals, "In the food line, Mark Spitz's reconstruction drones quivered and ticked like contestants in a deplorable PASD beauty pageant" (171). The author refers to the reconstruction process that humanity is working on, showing that the survivors are trying to rebuild the old world or something similar to escape the threat of zombies. He also describes the survivors as drones, suggesting that humanity has regressed to mindless beings who worked for war... in the middle of the paper... red in the past before they were infected. Given the textual evidence, Whitehead demonstrates that by returning to a point that reminds them of the past, humans and zombies are not that different from each other. Humans try to regain a sense of normalcy by rebuilding the old world in hopes of returning to the safe lives they lived before the zombie apocalypse. Likewise, zombies return to the cities they populated when alive while mindlessly conforming to the normal behaviors they took part in while alive. The story of Spitz and his struggle to survive in the post-apocalyptic world shows the dangers of seeking a normal life and living in the past. However, through his observations we also discover that this inevitable progression towards normality is what keeps humanity alive, it is what prevents them from truly becoming zombies..