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
Callum films as Sephy reads from the script. She tells Mr. Hadley that he’ll never see her again unless he follows the instructions in the envelope that accompanies the video, and he can’t tell anyone. When Sephy is done reading, she looks up, crying. Callum motions for her to hold up the paper so he can zoom in on the date and then puts the camcorder away. He asks Sephy to tell him everything she’s wearing—down to her jewelry and underwear—and then tells her to take her shirt off, or he will.
Sephy doesn’t have the closest relationship with her father, but it’s still very traumatizing for her to have to read these demands to him. Callum’s gruff demeanor seems to be a protective attitude: he doesn’t want to betray that this is difficult for him, too. And things seem even scarier for Sephy when Callum threatens to undress her if Sephy won’t—this is a threat of sexual violence.
Themes
Sephy undresses and asks if Callum is going to kill her. He says that’s ridiculous and feels silly for saying that—he thought he could do this. Sephy continues and asks why Callum and Jude hate her so much. Then, she says she’s not “stupid”—nobody is trying to hide their identities, so they’re going to kill her no matter what. She throws her tee shirt on the floor. Callum tries not to stare as she puts her sweater back on—Sephy’s adult body is so beautiful.
To Sephy, it seems clear she’s going to die, so fighting back doesn’t seem as potentially dangerous anymore. If she’s going to die, she reasons she might as well go out fighting. Sephy is focused on gathering information, but for Callum, this is a confusingly sexually charged situation. He hasn’t seen Sephy in years, and he can’t ignore that she’s grown up and is a beautiful adult now.
Themes
Callum tells Sephy she’ll be okay, but Sephy scoffs—doesn’t he want to get revenge for all the time he had to pretend to be her friend? Did the night they spent in her room mean anything? Callum points out that Sephy murdered Dad. At least, Crosses did; Dad refused to spend a life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Sephy spits that this confirms that she’s going to die, but Callum isn’t going to do it—he lets others do his dirty work. Callum insists he’s killed “daggers” before, and Sephy says she’d be easy to kill because she’s “just a black dagger bitch.” Suddenly enraged, Callum grabs Sephy’s hand, slits her finger with a knife, and smears her blood on her shirt. It’s proof that the LM are lethal and serious.
Sephy also seems to want to figure out how Callum actually feels about being a part of the LM, and about kidnapping her. Callum’s responses show that the tension in this situation is making it difficult for him to control his emotions and his actions. This is in part because it’s confusing for him to have to be so violent and cruel to someone he once considered a friend, and may have even loved. But Callum is also still trying to recover from Dad’s death, and he believes associating with the LM is the only way to get revenge.
Themes
As soon as Callum lets go, Sephy puts her finger in her mouth. The cut is deeper than Callum intended to make it, and when she pulls her finger out of her mouth, he grabs her hand and puts her finger in his mouth. After a while, Sephy takes her finger back and says that she wants Callum to kill her, and he must do it quickly. Callum struggles to keep his emotions in check as he leaves the room. He has to do this.
This interaction turns oddly intimate when Callum puts Sephy’s finger in his mouth after cutting it deeply. He seems to struggle to control himself when he lashes out—but he still wants to help Sephy feel better. This highlights how intertwined violence and romance are in Callum and Sephy’s relationship.
Themes
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Callum notices Jude watching him and hands his brother the videodisc and the bloody shirt. Jude studies the shirt and says he now knows Callum is on his side. Now, Jude says, he and Pete are going to take the items to Mr. Hadley while Leila and Morgan guard the house. It’s Callum’s responsibility to guard Sephy. Callum is confused—the first- and second-in-command never go off together. Jude continues and tells Callum to welcome the General’s second-in-command if he arrives first with the password, “Golden Man.” Callum watches Jude go. He doesn’t trust his brother at all.
As has been the case for much of the novel when it comes to Jude, Callum feels like he has to prove himself. But Callum also struggles to trust that Jude is on his side, or that Jude even wants Callum to prove himself at all. This lingering familial tension means that Callum can’t trust that his involvement with the LM is going to go well. The McGregors’ familial dysfunction is still causing issues, even years after the family members parted ways.
Themes
