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Chapter 36
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Great Influenza, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Leadership and Crisis
Truth, Free Press, and Propaganda
Science vs. Nature
Education, Research, and Institutions
Summary
Analysis
The afterword is written in January 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic has been happening for over a year. The author, John M. Barry, says he is often asked what lessons from 1918 can be applied to the present. He suggests two things: first, people in positions of authority must be honest and retain the public’s trust. Second, measures like social distancing, masks, and proper ventilation are very effective.
COVID-19 is the whole reason why The Great Influenza has experienced a renewed surge in interest, so it’s natural that Barry would address the issue in a new afterword. The advice Barry gives to combat COVID-19 dovetails with his description of the influenza pandemic of 1918, particularly his descriptions of the mistakes leaders made.
Themes
There are also important differences between the 1918 influenza and COVID-19, with the former being more virulent (i.e., deadly) but also less transmissible (meaning it didn’t spread as easily as COVID-19 does). The other big difference is that COVID overwhelmingly affects the elderly, as opposed to the 1918 influenza, with disproportionately affected young adults.
Though it’s easy to draw comparisons between the 1918 influenza pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, Barry cautions against oversimplifying things. The differences between influenza and COVID as diseases makes a huge impact on how each pandemic affected society.
Themes
Herd immunity offers hope for an end to the pandemic, but it will happen through vaccination, not infection. It also won’t mean a complete end to the virus; the virus will continue to infect some people, just not on the same scale. Long term, the future of COVID may resemble influenza, with yearly booster vaccines needed to combat new strains.
Though Barry doesn’t say so explicitly, in this passage he seems to be responding to people who oppose vaccination or COVID containment measures. Though herd immunity is a real concept, it was often brought up as a justification by politicians and commentators who opposed COVID safety measures, many of whom were also against vaccination. By emphasizing the importance of vaccination, Barry is making clear where he stands on the issue
Themes
Propaganda and censorship made the public lose trust in officials, and this ultimately worsened the course of the 1918 pandemic. Combatting COVID-19 will require the public’s trust, which will involve no lies, distortion, or manipulation.
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, some politicians and news outlets attempted to dismiss the disease as no worse than the flu. Barry implies a connection between these recent events and events that occurred in 1918, when many newspapers also dismissed a deadly virus as “only influenza.” He argues that whether it’s 1918 or 2020, it's better to look directly at the threat a pandemic poses, even if it’s unpleasant.
Themes
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