Although it is set in a post-apocalyptic future, critics have read Colson Whitehead’s Zone One as a commentary about life in a contemporary New York. Write an essay that explores the purpose behind Whitehead’s depiction of the struggle for survival in a future New York City.

You may wish to consider the following questions: Why does Whitehead begin the novel with a description of New York before the apocalypse? What aspects of New York are still the same after the apocalypse?