The zombies in Dread Nation, more than being individuals, represent a collective antagonist against which the living people must struggle. Known as “shamblers” in Justina Ireland’s novel, the zombies are also important symbols of the power of the past to shape human lives in the present.

Ireland uses the war between the living and the dead as a metaphor for the Civil War and the racism that undergirds the slavery system. In theory, the situation is especially dire because all humans are equally threatened by the masses of undead. Nevertheless, the white ruling class continues to maintain their superiority over African Americans, who are disproportionately delegated as the shock troops fighting this menace.

The letters that Jane’s mother, Ophelia, or Momma, sends but Jane does not receive are another important symbol. They appear as a motif through their frequent inclusion throughout the novel. On one level, the letters stand for communication between mother and child and, by extension, the importance of family bonds.

However, Momma is biracial but is passing as white and does not acknowledge her maternal role; therefore, the communication gap also symbolizes the racial divide. On another level, because the letters are intercepted, Miss Anderson’s role in preventing Jane from receiving what is rightfully hers also stands for the unequal power relations in slave society.