The Walking Dead (TV series)

What Is The Walking Dead, and What Is It About?

The Walking Dead season one image

The Walking Dead is an AMC Television series airing from 2010-2022, produced by Frank Darabont, and it follows the survivors of a zombie apocalypse. This series was originally a comic written by Robert Kirkman, and the television series is loosely based on it. The television series begins with an introduction to the main protagonist, Rick Grimes, a police officer in the state of Georgia, waking up from a coma induced by a work injury. When Rick wakes up, he discovers the world is falling apart, and society has changed completely as zombies have taken over. Rick becomes a leader figure to many of the survivors, and the main goal for the people left uninfected is to survive in a world full of the undead.  

In a crisis such as a zombie apocalypse, survival becomes the main purpose of every survivor. However, some viewers and reviewers argue that the series enforces traditional gender roles, while others believe it erases them. The survivor named Carol is a hot topic in this discussion, who, before the outbreak, was a housewife, and who is a rather maternal character in the series. Carol, at least at the beginning of the series, is seen doing a lot of the domestic work, like cleaning clothes, cooking food, and even taking care of children, which is a traditionally feminine role. While the men in this post-apocalyptic world, for example, Rick, take on a leadership role to protect people, and serve as an overall dominant male figure. Also, according to Dr. Zuleyka Zevallos, gender analysis of the series Rick also went on to save a woman from a domestic abuse situation, which seems admirable; however, it was mostly because of his “lust” and not only that, it also put his family and group of survivors in danger (1). Despite these characters displaying characteristics of traditional gender roles, there is also the other side of the coin, especially in relation to the women in the series.

Bringing the discussion back to Carol, as she is a rather interesting character in terms of growth and breaking free of gendered stereotypes. At the start of the series, viewers see Carol in an abusive relationship with her husband, and her young daughter joining a survival group. Carol’s husband eventually dies due to infection, and Carol is the one who has to do the killing. This scene, in general, is rather influential and was discussed by a reviewer, Oliva Hershman, and this is where “the audience sees Carol gain confidence and strength” (2). Ultimately, she takes the power back from her male abuser and gains the courage to survive and protect her child on her own. 

Carol Peletier In The Walking Dead 

Another female character that simultaneously matches gender stereotypes and breaks them is called Michonne, another survivor of the outbreak. Although her story remains rather mysterious for a while, it is discovered that before the outbreak, she had a child and a partner, who had passed away. Michonne, outliving both of them, became a very talented survivalist who, according to the Walking Dead wiki, “[perfected] her swordsmanship and [became] a dark and ruthless warrior” (3). However,

Michonne and Rick 

despite her skills with a katana and her ability to fight like a soldier, she still manages to fall second in line with Rick and is a caretaker to many of the other survivors, including Rick's son Carl Grimes. Not only does this series have an interesting story to tell in terms of gender analysis prospects, but also the dystopian elements of this post-apocalyptic world fit perfectly with that discussion. Because of the outbreak, there was ultimately a collapse of society, eliminating the government, law, and any sort of regulations that normally exist. As mentioned previously, the people in this series have a main goal of survival, meaning that violence is a very regular occurrence, not just against zombies but against other people as well. Despite the main goal of survival, there is still the conversation of how traditional gender roles still worm their way into a collapsed society. That arguably makes for a very unique discussion about how, in a lawless and majority lifeless world, people conform to gender norms. Then there is also the other groups of survivors who are apart of a "walled in community" (4) which are groups of people who live in what they think is a safe protected zone, which also demonstrates how even in a place where nobody has power, there are still some that try to take control and regain order in a orderless place. Overall, this series makes for some very interesting conversation for a course based off of dystopia, and also focuses on gender analysis due to its complex characters, and despite the lack of power their are still groups of people seeking control in more ways than one.

Works Cited:

1. Zevallos, Dr Zuleyka. “The Walking Dead: Gender, Race & Sexuality.” Dr Zuleyka Zevallos - Sociology Prose, 19 Aug. 2025, zuleykazevallos.com/2017/04/05/the-walking-dead-gender-race-sexuality/. 
2. Hershman, Olivia. “Carol Peletier: Redefining Gender Roles in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’” The Digital Literature Review, 3 May 2018, blogs.bsu.edu/dlr/2018/05/03/carol-peletier-redefining-gender-roles-in-amcs-the-walking-dead/. 
3. Wiki, Contributors to Walking Dead. “Michonne Grimes (TV Universe).” Walking Dead Wiki, Fandom, Inc., walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Michonne_Grimes_(TV_Universe). Accessed 10 Dec. 2025. 
4. Wiki, Contributors to Walking Dead. “Alexandria Safe Zone (TV Universe).” Walking Dead Wiki, Fandom, Inc., walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Alexandria_Safe_Zone_(TV_Universe). Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.