Student Question
What do you know about the character Todd Wainio's background in World War Z?
Quick answer:
Todd Wainio is a crucial character in World War Z who provides detailed accounts of the zombie battles, focusing on military equipment and the evolution of tactics. He emphasizes the importance of personal independence and skill over reliance on technology, highlighting the need for adaptability in soldiers. While some consider him the protagonist, his role underscores camaraderie and the collective spirit of humanity in fighting the zombie apocalypse.
It is fairly important to understand that “background” of a character as he fights in the zombie apocalypse isn’t necessarily important; however, we can certainly talk about what we do know, as readers, about Todd Wainio. In short, it is from Todd Wainio that we learn about most of the zombie battles in World War Z.
Todd Wainio gives us many details about humans’ accouterments used to fight the zombies (and he does so in a very conversational style). When reading epic poetry, these kinds of lists would be a combination of a catalog and a description of armor. Often, the exact type of military vehicles are listed and described, such as in this section:
Dude, we had everything: tanks, Bradley, Humvees. ... We had Avenger Humvee mounted Stinger surface-to-air missile sets, we had this AVLB portable bridge layer system …. We had a bunch of XM5 electronic warfare...
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vehicles all crammed with radar and jamming gear.
Even further in this section, Todd gives us a description of the battle armor and the “Land Warrior System,” both of which will also help humanity defeat the zombies during the world war. Also keep in mind that this description is given before the battle at Yonkers where Todd learns even more about what is needed to fight the zombies. Therefore, by the time the Battle of Hope happens, the warriors have a new set of vehicles, armor, and systems that are created anew to help in the fight.
Todd Wainio also shows us that it is important to have personal independence and smarts in order to survive in this era. Before the zombies took over the human world, the military soldiers used to be really good at playing games and pushing buttons in order to kill. This was something that didn’t take too much skill or smarts (says Todd Wainio). Now, however, a soldier has to be extraordinarily skilled in order to operate something like a SIR. Further that soldier has to have a decent mind and be mentally sound in order to operate the SIR and other sophisticated weapons. The machines in the above descriptions, then, can’t save us. Only skilled and independent people can save us from the zombies.
In conclusion, please realize that some people believe Todd Wainio is the protagonist of World War Z while others claim another character (such as the interviewer) is the protagonist. As the suggested protagonist, Todd does show the reader the importance of camaraderie in regards to keeping spirits up among the battles. Todd’s focus? The beauty of humanity: “It was a new army, as much the people as anything else.”