Trevor’s Swiss Army knife represents the senselessness and unpredictability of his death. Both Ellie and Vivian remember at various points how much Trevor loved and relied on his Swiss Army knife; it made him feel prepared to tackle any situation, from tightening screws to the time he brandished the knife at the Leech while hiking with Ellie. However, the knife, and the sense of security and preparedness it gave Trevor, wasn’t enough to protect him from murder when Dr. Allerton killed him. As Ellie receives Trevor’s knife from Lenore, she muses on how the knife certainly did nothing for Trevor in his final moments. For all his attempts to protect himself from the dangers lurking in the world, his senseless, unfair, and untimely death came anyway. The knife thus becomes a reminder of Trevor’s mortality—and the mortality of all living beings.
Swiss Army Knife Quotes in Elatsoe
“Here,” Lenore said, handing Ellie a velvet-wrapped parcel. “He wanted you to have this.”
Gingerly, Ellie unwrapped Trevor’s Swiss Army knife. “He used to carry this during hikes,” she said. “Every hike. Even little ones in Grandma’s yard. Just in case.” She held it carefully. “I’ll always carry it, too.”
“That’s Trevor,” Lenore said. “Prepared for just about anything. It didn’t help him in the end.”
Swiss Army Knife Symbol Timeline in Elatsoe
