Throughout this class, we have looked at cases of humans going up against the natural world. Whether it be them attempting not to freeze in a raging blizzard, or attempting to dig a canal through difficult terrain, the natural state of humans existing in nature seemed to be one of conflict, specifically, a conflict that humans were often winning. However, throughout the parts of Voices from Chernobyl that we read, I was struck by how this terrible tragedy of a nuclear meltdown flipped that script, and put humans in the weaker position.

This shift in dynamic is shown all throughout the book, mainly in how the residents begin to interact with each other and with the land. Their fears manifest themselves through the humans suddenly being on the defensive, always seeming to be worried that their actions would lead to illness or death. This existential fear, the fear that something terrible is just waiting to happen and without any provocation is the opposite of how nature and humans usually interact. Normally, nature is the more passive entity, with humans being the aggressors, spontaneously attacking the natural world which has no mechanism to defend itself.

And what exactly happens when humans start losing this war? The whole way they have structured society begins to erode. They start to lose trust in each other (the soldiers in conflict with the residents simply trying to survive), their sustenance (the food that is keeping them alive is also what is killing them), and generally their normal way of life. It makes one realize how fragile human society really is, and how it completely hinges on man’s domination over nature.