Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The City of Ember, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Selfishness, Greed, and Corruption
Family and Community
Censorship
Summary
Analysis
Doon is confused, as the boat is only big enough for two people. He grabs another candle and he and Lina discover another door. Behind it is a room full of boats, each equipped with paddles and boxes of candles and matches. Back at the river’s edge, Lina puts the boxes away. Doon puts a candle and some matches in his pocket and they close the door. They stare at the river with wonder and decide that tomorrow, at the Singing, they’ll tell the city what they found.
Though the Singing itself symbolizes the community spirit of Ember, Lina and Doon wanting to tell everyone about their discovery reads less as a desire to support the community and more as a selfish desire to contrive a situation in which Lina and Doon get to feel important and heroic.
Themes
Back aboveground, Lina and Doon realize it’s almost six p.m. They make a plan for the next day and then run home. Doon knows that tomorrow, his father will be so proud and happy when he learns what Doon found. Doon is even happier when he realizes that the guards will probably arrest Mayor Cole tomorrow, too. In the morning, when Doon’s father goes downstairs, Doon puts supplies in his pillowcase so he’s ready to go. He puts in food, extra clothes, and paper and pencil so he can record their journey. He reasons that in the new city, people will give him more food. Doon flips through his book of bug drawings, but decides to leave it behind.
The fact that Doon reasons that people in the new city will be more than willing to help feed Ember’s residents speaks to just how ingrained the community spirit is in Ember. Even though Doon has been confronted with clear proof that not everyone is actually looking out for others in, it’s still unthinkable to Doon that they might just as easily find a more individualistic or greedy society.
Themes
Doon pulls out the box with the worm inside to check it. A few days ago, the worm bundled itself up, hanging from a cabbage stem. Though it hasn’t moved for days, the bundle is moving now. The bundle splits and Doon watches a wet moth crawl out. With a smile, Doon lets it go out the window. He knows that he witnessed something amazing and greater than even the power of the Builders or the power of Ember. Doon wonders again if he should take more things but then laughs—he’ll be with everyone else, and someone will lend him whatever he might forget.
Again, Doon doesn’t have the language, education, or connection to nature to accurately describe what he sees: a moth emerging from its chrysalis. Rather than depressing him, however, Doon now recognizes that this is showing him how much is still out there to learn—and how amazing some of that currently unknown information might be. The moth itself is also a symbolic parallel to Doon’s own coming of age, as he, too, is preparing to make a dramatic transition in potentially leading people out of Ember.
Themes
Doon sees three burly guards approach old Nammy Proggs and ask for Doon. They say that Doon is spreading rumors. Nammy says she saw Doon heading for the trash heaps and the guards leave. Doon is stunned and doesn’t understand why he’s in trouble for telling the truth. He does realize that Nammy Proggs helped him. Thinking hard, Doon decides that if the guards had investigated the secret room, they’d know he was telling the truth. It’s also possible, he realizes, that the guards are also profiting from the storerooms. He feels suddenly full of rage, but races away to warn Lina.
Nammy Proggs is significant primarily because she only appears a handful of times in the novel—and yet, here, she chooses to protect Doon. This makes it clear that that there are others who see that the guards are corrupt too, and it drives home how community-oriented many of Ember’s residents are. Doon begins to come of age here as he turns his anger into a more useful emotion by allowing his friendship to motivate him.
Themes
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Lina comes home to Mrs. Murdo’s with the sound of the river in her ears. She feels like she contains the river in her and has a voice that’s answering it, and she realizes that her dreams of a gentle path out of Ember were childish. Lina feels safe as Mrs. Murdo tucks her and Poppy in and sings a song about treetops. As she tries to sleep, Lina thinks that tomorrow is bound to be a mess. People will certainly fight over the boats. She vows to hold on tight to Poppy, Mrs. Murdo, and Doon. The next morning, Lina gratefully eats the breakfast Mrs. Murdo cooks for her. When someone bangs on the door, Mrs. Murdo opens it to find a wild-looking Doon. In Lina’s room, Doon tells her about the guards and says they have to hide.
Part of coming of age is being able to recognize that previous thoughts or belief were immature and childish; that Lina can do this here shows how much she’s grown in the last few weeks. When she also recognizes that people will definitely fight over the boats, it also shows that she’s learned that all humans, no matter how good, have the potential to be greedy and selfish—especially when fear is a part of the mix. Gaining this more nuanced understanding helps her more clearly understand Ember and how it functions.
Themes
Doon says that there are signs up all over the city, asking people to report it if they see Lina and Doon. Lina can barely think, but she waves to Mrs. Murdo and follows Doon to the school. She tries to pull down the signs as they run. The signs tell people to believe nothing Lina and Doon say. They finally reach the school and slip in. They sit in silence for a bit and then discuss what the guards will do when they find them. Doon says that they really only have to hide until the Singing, and then they can tell everyone about the boats and Mayor Cole. When Lina points out that there are always guards at the Singing, they sit in frustrated silence.
Because the people of Ember have been taught to trust authority figures like the mayor and the guards, Lina and Doon are probably in very real danger here. This means that if they’re going to come up with a way to get out of this mess, they’re going to have to think for themselves, not just look to authority figures who, they see now, have no business being in positions of authority in the first place.
Themes
Lina looks around and catches sight of The Book of the City of Ember. She remembers it saying that Ember is the only light in the dark world, but she knows now that’s not true. Doon suggests that they could leave a note with someone they trust, take a boat, and go. Lina is worried about leaving Poppy, but Doon points out that everyone will follow soon. Hesitantly, Lina suggests they write to Clary, since Clary will believe them and lives close to the school. Doon excitedly points out that this way, they can be the first ones in the new city.
Once again, Doon is still very attracted to being recognized for saving Ember. While entirely understandable in and of itself, this does mean that, as things stand now, nobody else knows what’s going on or why Lina and Doon are in trouble with the mayor in the first place. Because of this, there’s really no one to help them.
Themes
Lina lists all the things that will have to happen before everyone else can leave Ember, and she says that Poppy will need her. Doon insists that Mrs. Murdo is organized and will take care of Poppy. Lina knows this is true and tells herself she’s being selfish. Doon eagerly says they’ll be able to show everyone around the new city. He writes a note explaining everything, and Lina declares that she’ll deliver it to Clary. Lina suggests that Clary could come, but she realizes that Doon is intent on doing this themselves. They decide to deliver the note and then wait until after the Singing starts to head for the Pipeworks. Lina slips out, thinking of how scared Doon’s father and Mrs. Murdo will be when they see the posters and realize that they’re gone. Doon watches two guards spot Lina.
After her experience purchasing the colored pencils, Lina now is able to recognize selfishness in herself and she can make the choice to not indulge it. Especially since this is such an emotionally charged and difficult situation, it’s commendable that Lina is able to get a handle on this negative feeling now. Similarly, it’s also a mark of maturity when Lina can understand that Doon’s father and Mrs. Murdo are probably sick with worry right now, as it shows that she’s able to think outside herself and consider others’ perspectives.
Themes
