Dehumanization and Survival in Hell Followed With Us: Theme Analysis
Thematic Claim: Survival Without Becoming the Monster You Fight
In Hell Followed With Us, Andrew Joseph White argues that dehumanization is not a flaw of the oppressor alone but a survival strategy that both the Angels and their resisters adopt. The novel’s central tension is whether queer kids at the end of the world can survive without becoming the very monsters they oppose. Through Benji’s journey, the Watch’s brutal trades, and the final confrontation with Theo, White shows that survival demands moral compromise—but that the only way to remain human is to resist the urge to see others as less than human, even when that resistance costs you everything.
Dehumanization as the Angels’ Weapon
From the opening chapter, the Angels strip Benji of his identity through language. Brother Hutch calls him “Sister Woodside,” refusing to acknowledge his name or gender, and later Steven threatens to “cut shit off” to make him a girl. This verbal violence is paired with physical commodification: Benji is not a person but a vessel for Seraph, a weapon to be used in the Angels’ holy war. The novel shows how religious rhetoric—calling Graces “abominations” and citing Leviticus—turns living beings into objects of disgust and targets for extermination. Benji’s father’s dying instruction to “be good” becomes a trap: being good means accepting the Angels’ dehumanizing labels, while making them suffer means seizing the Flood’s power and becoming a monster himself.
The Watch’s Moral Compromise
The Watch, a group of queer kids fighting the Angels, does not escape this logic. In Chapter 6, they trade severed ears to the Vanguard for supplies, treating enemy bodies as currency. Nick’s calm voice as he offers “an abomination tooth” reveals how easily the resisters adopt the oppressor’s vocabulary. The Vanguard’s rejection of Brother Hutch’s mangled ear—because it isn’t “good enough”—exposes the brutal commodification at the heart of survival: even proof of death must meet a standard. This scene forces the reader to ask whether the Watch’s dehumanization of the Angels is justified, or whether it merely replicates the system they fight. The novel refuses a clean answer, showing that the kids are both victims and perpetrators, and that their survival depends on this moral compromise.
Recognizing Humanity in the Monster
A counterpoint to this dehumanization appears in Chapter 8, when Benji encounters a Grace in the Acheson Rescue Mission. Instead of seeing a monster, he sees himself: “This is me. This is what I’ll become.” He uses the pronoun “they” and whispers, “We’re the same thing.” This moment challenges both the Angels’ view of Graces as abominations and the Watch’s use of “abomination tooth” as a trade item. Benji’s empathy—his refusal to dehumanize even a creature made of corpses—becomes a radical act of resistance. It suggests that survival is not just about physical endurance but about maintaining the ability to see humanity in the other, even when that other is a monster.
The Cost of Survival: Benji’s Transformation and Theo’s Death
The novel’s climax forces Benji to confront the limits of this empathy. In Chapter 35, Theo, now Dominion, tries to drown Benji. Benji stabs him in self-defense, and Nick shoots Theo to save Benji. The scene is a brutal dehumanization: Benji bites Theo’s neck, and Nick kills him without hesitation. Yet afterward, Benji creates a small creature from Theo’s remains and places his engagement ring in its palm. This act is deeply ambiguous—it turns Theo into a monster, but it also honors him with a symbol of love. The ring, which once represented a future together, now becomes a marker of what was lost. Benji’s choice to keep the creature with him suggests that even in the midst of survival’s violence, he clings to a fragment of humanity, refusing to let Theo become just another corpse.
Symbols of Humanity and Dehumanization
The novel uses symbols to reinforce this theme. Masks, worn by Angels to keep out the Flood, also hide identity and enforce conformity; Benji is forced into a mask and robes, erasing his self. The trans bead lizard that Nick carries is a small, personal object—a reminder of his humanity in a world that treats him as a soldier. The engagement ring, as noted, becomes a bridge between dehumanization and love. These objects show that even in the midst of horror, characters reach for tokens of connection to resist being reduced to their roles.
Complexity and Contradiction
The novel refuses to offer a simple moral. The Watch dehumanizes the Angels, but they are also victims of the Angels’ dehumanization. Benji becomes Seraph, a six-winged beast, yet he retains his love for Nick. The ending shows Benji and Nick pressing foreheads together, “feeling at home,” despite Nick’s disfigured face and Benji’s monstrous form. This tenderness suggests that survival is possible, but only if characters can hold onto their humanity—even when they have been physically transformed into something other. The contradiction is that survival often requires dehumanizing others, but the novel argues that doing so ultimately destroys the survivor. Benji’s final act—creating a creature from Theo’s remains—is both a dehumanization and a memorial, leaving the reader to question whether any act of survival can be clean.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the Angels’ use of language dehumanize Benji, and what effect does this have on his identity?
The Angels call Benji “Sister Woodside” and “good girl,” refusing to acknowledge his name or gender. Steven threatens to “cut shit off” to force him into a female role. This verbal violence strips Benji of his selfhood, making him a tool for their religious agenda. It forces him into a constant internal struggle between being “good” (obedient to their labels) and making them suffer (asserting his identity).
2. In what ways does the Watch dehumanize the Angels, and why is this morally complicated?
The Watch collects severed ears as proof of kills and trades them for supplies, treating enemy bodies as currency. They also use the term “abomination tooth,” adopting the Angels’ dehumanizing language. This is complicated because the Watch are victims of the Angels’ violence, yet they replicate the same logic of commodification. The Vanguard’s rejection of a mangled ear shows that even their survival depends on meeting dehumanizing standards.
3. How does Benji’s encounter with the Grace challenge the dehumanizing views of both the Angels and the Watch?
Benji sees the Grace as a reflection of himself, using the pronoun “they” and whispering, “We’re the same thing.” This empathy rejects the Angels’ label of “abomination” and the Watch’s use of “abomination tooth” as a trade item. It suggests that recognizing shared humanity—even in a monster—is a form of resistance against the dehumanization that fuels the war.
4. What does the engagement ring symbolize in the final scene, and how does it relate to the theme?
The ring, which once represented Theo’s promise to Benji, becomes a marker of loss and a gesture of humanity. By placing it in the creature’s palm, Benji both dehumanizes Theo (turning him into a monster) and honors him (preserving a symbol of love). This ambiguity reflects the novel’s central tension: survival requires violence, but love and memory can still endure.
5. Does the novel suggest that survival is possible without dehumanizing others? Support your answer with evidence.
The novel suggests that survival is possible only if characters resist dehumanization, but it shows how difficult that is. Benji’s empathy for the Grace is a positive example, but his later actions—killing Theo and creating a creature from his remains—show the moral compromises required. The ending, with Benji and Nick finding tenderness despite their transformations, implies that humanity can be reclaimed, but only through conscious effort to see the other as human, even when they are monstrous.