Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Noughts and Crosses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism, Division, and Tragedy
Awareness and Privilege
Love, Lust, Power, and Violence
Friendship
Youth, Innocence, and Growing Up
Family
Summary
Analysis
Just as the clock strikes the final time, the prison governor runs out from the scaffolding—and says the execution has been stayed. Nobody cheers. Callum is confused; did Kelani find new evidence that Dad is innocent? She’s been working up to this moment to free him. Callum watches the guard take the hood off of Dad’s head. Dad doesn’t seem to understand what’s happening. The prison governor introduces himself to the spectators as Governor Giustini, and he says Dad’s sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment. Dad starts to shout his support for the Liberation Militia again, but his knees buckle.
Learning that Dad’s death sentence has been commuted to a life in prison is confusing for everyone at the execution—Dad most of all. Dad appears as though he was prepared to face his death and die for a cause he believed in, but now he’ll have to totally reorient his outlook. Callum, though, still seems hopeful that Kelani will have figured something out to save Dad. It’s not yet clear if this reflects Callum’s youth and his relative innocence, or if things have changed dramatically.
Themes
The prison courtyard suddenly erupts. Noughts rush the metal barriers between them and the scaffold, furious and desperate to rescue Dad. Callum ignores Mum pulling him back and rushes forward with the others, watching guards lead Dad back into the prison. He turns around and watches the Crosses hurry away. Is Sephy enjoying this free entertainment? It’s so unfair that the Crosses got to sit like this is a theater, while the noughts were penned up like cattle. Is it any wonder the noughts hate Crosses so much? People start to get injured in the surging crowd. Callum is angry—and giddy. But his anger disappears when Mum grabs him and leads him to go see Dad.
Callum’s initial feelings of confusion and hope transform into rage, and he’s pulled into the mob. Rushing the fence makes him feel like for once, he has a purpose. Now, Callum’s friendship with Sephy is just fuel for his rage, rather than a calming force. All he can see is her wealth and her privilege. Especially given how dehumanizing this experience was for all the noughts in attendance, the way the Crosses act as though this is entertainment is even more painful.
Themes
