Warm Bodies Language

In Issac Marion’s novel, Warm Bodies, R transforms from a passive zombie into a lively human and we see this transformation manifest itself through his ability to speak. Speech in the novel plays a significant role as an indicator of humanity and livelihood, as demonstrated by R and M. Both are zombies, yet from the onset of the story, both at least attempt to express themselves in a manner other than just moaning and groaning, unlike their zombie peers. As the story progresses, so does R’s ability to communicate. He gradually improves his speaking capacity and this is quite obviously a symptom of his interaction with Julie. Prior to meeting her, he never really had a reason to attempt to vocalize the thoughts in his head because he was surrounded by other zombies who, with the exception of M, could not utter a coherent syllable. However, by the end of the novel, before he makes the full transformation into human, R is clearly much more articulate, which helps him pass as a human in the stadium and even have a phone conversation with M to strategize their action plan. In a way, R’s growth can be tracked by the evolution of his language skills.