When reading a novel or watching a film, audiences often look for a guiding light; a character who steps up to take the lead when all hope is lost. It's not uncommon for that beacon of hope to be a complete stereotype, too often the hero of the day is a strong, virile, good-looking man, but what if he isn't? What if it was just an average man, or even not a man, but a woman or a child? When reading fiction, your imagination can run wild, painting vivid images intertwined with personal life experiences that you can connect to the characters in the novels and your own life experiences. The most memorable features of The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks, leave a lasting impression thanks to the strong main characters, their determination to survive, regardless of the obstacles that they can meet. end up in their path, and the simple truth that they are human and imperfect, but still resilient and willing to carry on as an example to others, both in the novel and among their intended audience. In World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks, at first it seems that the main character of the novel is the gentleman who interviews all the survivors of the zombie invasion. As he interviews each survivor, however, he seems to take a backseat to those who recount their face-to-face encounters with those who died and were reanimated as zombies (Brooks). The interviewer goes to talk to a man in southern Africa, to get more information about a man who had found a way to stop the zombies, but his plans went unused. The gentleman I interview speaks very highly of this pioneer, Paul Redeker, and it is clear that Redeker is a strong leader. Even the strongest... in the middle of the paper... ps off the page and into the minds of its readers. Just like a child's imagination, the reader's imagination can be free, his life experiences mixing with those on the page, to the point where he is unable to tell what is real and what is fiction. The main characters in The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks, leave a lasting impression on their readers due to the strength of the main characters. Readers are strengthened by these characters and their determination to survive, no matter what obstacles may come their way. Furthermore, these pieces allow readers to realize that although these characters are strong and resilient, the simple truth is that they are human and flawed, but still willing to serve as an example to others, both in the novel and in the target audience.