In Station Eleven, a novel written by Emily St. John Mandel, art serves as a bond for survivors in the post-collapse world. Simply surviving is not enough and characters use art to remain sane. For some, art provides an outlet for escaping the hardships in this post-apocalyptic world, while others use it as a way to cling to the past. Visual arts—the comic book, Dr.Eleven, and the Museum of Civilization—and performing arts such as plays provide characters Kirsten and Clark, and the traveling symphony with a purpose in life and a connection to the past. Visual art is a key factor in the survival of main character, Kirsten, in Mandel’s novel. For Kirsten, comic books—which she received from Arthur Leander pre-collapse—serve as a memory of her childhood before civilization ended. For this reason, she treasured “the comics Arthur Leander gave her: two issues for a series no one else in the Symphony has ever heard of, Dr. Eleven… By Year Twenty, Kirsten has them memorized” (Mandel 43). As a memory of the past, Kirsten repeatedly reads the magazines she encounters in an abandoned house, as she recalls receiving the same collection pre-collapse. While focusing the majority…show more content… The Traveling Symphony succeeds in providing these connections as one member, Kirsten, reflected that she and Dieter “had only ever been friends—in a hazy way [she] thought of him as family” (133). As she has lost all of her family and friends from the collapse, Kirsten has been able to form contacts with other individuals, who serve to distract her from her situation. Their support and friendship make surviving not just a task; they provide distractions, protection, and encouragement. Simply surviving is not enough in the post-collapse world, therefore it is imperative to have a purpose in life and have support throughout the tough