Scythe

by

Neal Shusterman

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Rowan Damisch Character Analysis

One of the novel's teenage protagonists, the other being Citra. When the reader meets Rowan, he's a self-professed "lettuce kid"—a forgotten middle child who believes his life is pointless. He does, however, demonstrate early on in the novel that he's compassionate and caring by insisting on holding his classmate Kohl Whitlock's hand when Scythe Faraday comes to school to glean Kohl. This act of kindness causes Faraday to ask Rowan to train, along with Citra, to become a scythe. Rowan sees becoming a scythe as a way to infuse his life with purpose. Though he continues to question the righteousness of gleaning, he believes fully in Faraday's ideas when the two are together. Faraday makes a point to develop Rowan's compassion even more, and it often impresses Citra. Rowan harbors a crush on Citra, and throughout the novel, he throws competitions with the hope of letting her win. This becomes even more important to him after Faraday self-gleans, and the maniacal Scythe Goddard takes over Rowan's training. Rowan does his best to cling to his humanity, but he quickly watches himself transform into what Faraday called a "killing machine": someone who is desensitized to the act of gleaning and, horrifically, actually enjoys it. While he becomes increasingly skilled at killcraft, Rowan also does what he can to maintain a sense of decency. He helps people escape during Goddard's mass gleanings, tries to comfort Scythe Volta, one of Goddard's followers who is less convinced that Goddard is good, and writes several journal entries that he later burns about how he's becoming a monster. Despite all of this, Rowan begins to hear Goddard in his head and even sees the point of several of Goddard's beliefs, such as that people who cannot feel pain—that is, most people in the novel's present—cannot properly feel joy. After Goddard takes his cronies and Rowan on a gleaning rampage at a Tonist cloister, Rowan takes matters into his own hand, kills Goddard, Chomsky, and Rand, and burns the building. Though he's not chosen to receive his ring, Citra cleverly grants him immunity and helps him escape. He goes on to become an unordained scythe called Scythe Lucifer and takes out corrupt scythes.

Rowan Damisch Quotes in Scythe

The Scythe quotes below are all either spoken by Rowan Damisch or refer to Rowan Damisch. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

Suddenly Kohl thrust his hand out, grabbing Rowan's and holding it tightly. Rowan allowed it. He wasn't family; he wasn't even Kohl's friend before today—but what was the saying? Death makes the whole world kin. Rowan wondered if a world without death would then make everyone strangers.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Kohl Whitlock
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

The idea that not all scythes were good was something neither Rowan or Citra had ever considered. It was widely accepted that scythes adhered to the highest moral and ethical standards. They were wise in their dealings and fair in their choices. Even the ones who sought celebrity were seen to deserve it. The idea that some scythes might not be as honorable as Scythe Faraday did not sit well with either of his new apprentices.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:

"But people could read it. The Scythe Archive is open to everyone."

"Yeah," said Rowan, "like the Thunderhead. People can read anything, but no one does. All they do is play games and watch cat holograms."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch (speaker), Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

He clicked on each name and brought up four pictures. He immediately regretted it, because the moment those names had faces, they became people instead of parameters.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 89
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

"Never lose your humanity," Scythe Faraday had told him, "or you'll be nothing more than a killing machine." He had used the word "killing" rather than "gleaning." Rowan hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he understood; it stopped being gleaning the moment one became desensitized to the act.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker), Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard
Page Number: 239
Explanation and Analysis:

"Embrace it, Rowan. Suckle at its transformative breast. You may think gleaning is an acquired taste, but it's not. The thrill of the hunt and the joy of the kill simmers in all of us. Bring it to the surface and then you'll be the kind of scythe this world needs."

Related Characters: Scythe Goddard (speaker), Rowan Damisch
Page Number: 240
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

Tyger left with the other professional party people, with whom he seemed to share much more in common now than with Rowan. Rowan wondered if there was anyone from his old life he could relate to anymore.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard, Tyger Salazar
Page Number: 311
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

"Had she lived, who knows what she might have done. Perhaps she could have changed the world and redeemed her family name. I choose to be Scythe Anastasia. I vow to become the change that might have been."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch, High Blade Xenocrates
Related Symbols: Anastasia Romanov
Page Number: 428
Explanation and Analysis:
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Rowan Damisch Quotes in Scythe

The Scythe quotes below are all either spoken by Rowan Damisch or refer to Rowan Damisch. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

Suddenly Kohl thrust his hand out, grabbing Rowan's and holding it tightly. Rowan allowed it. He wasn't family; he wasn't even Kohl's friend before today—but what was the saying? Death makes the whole world kin. Rowan wondered if a world without death would then make everyone strangers.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Kohl Whitlock
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

The idea that not all scythes were good was something neither Rowan or Citra had ever considered. It was widely accepted that scythes adhered to the highest moral and ethical standards. They were wise in their dealings and fair in their choices. Even the ones who sought celebrity were seen to deserve it. The idea that some scythes might not be as honorable as Scythe Faraday did not sit well with either of his new apprentices.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:

"But people could read it. The Scythe Archive is open to everyone."

"Yeah," said Rowan, "like the Thunderhead. People can read anything, but no one does. All they do is play games and watch cat holograms."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch (speaker), Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

He clicked on each name and brought up four pictures. He immediately regretted it, because the moment those names had faces, they became people instead of parameters.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 89
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

"Never lose your humanity," Scythe Faraday had told him, "or you'll be nothing more than a killing machine." He had used the word "killing" rather than "gleaning." Rowan hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he understood; it stopped being gleaning the moment one became desensitized to the act.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker), Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard
Page Number: 239
Explanation and Analysis:

"Embrace it, Rowan. Suckle at its transformative breast. You may think gleaning is an acquired taste, but it's not. The thrill of the hunt and the joy of the kill simmers in all of us. Bring it to the surface and then you'll be the kind of scythe this world needs."

Related Characters: Scythe Goddard (speaker), Rowan Damisch
Page Number: 240
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

Tyger left with the other professional party people, with whom he seemed to share much more in common now than with Rowan. Rowan wondered if there was anyone from his old life he could relate to anymore.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard, Tyger Salazar
Page Number: 311
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

"Had she lived, who knows what she might have done. Perhaps she could have changed the world and redeemed her family name. I choose to be Scythe Anastasia. I vow to become the change that might have been."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch, High Blade Xenocrates
Related Symbols: Anastasia Romanov
Page Number: 428
Explanation and Analysis: