The City of Ember

by

Jeanne DuPrau

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The City of Ember makes teaching easy.

The City of Ember: Chapter 16 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Lina is terrified. She remembers that the library is often open on holidays and runs for it, but it’s locked. She tries to flatten herself against the door, but the guards see her and tackle her to the ground. Lina rips at the guard’s beard, but he says that Lina is going to see Mayor Cole for telling rumors. There are already a few people in the square for the Singing, while others begin to unfurl the banners representing the three songs. The guards shove Lina into the same room she visited on her first day of work and Redge Stabmark tells her to sit in a small chair. Mayor Cole enters a moment later, seeming larger than ever. He dismisses the guards and then accuses Lina of going places she’s not supposed to go.
Noting that Mayor Cole seems larger than ever is a way of showing that he’s becoming even greedier and more corrupt. To echo Clary’s wisdom to Lina, Mayor Cole’s greed manifests as literal hunger that makes him literally larger than ever. That Lina is sitting through this interrogation in the minutes before the Singing draws out the differences between how Ember looks on the surface and what’s going on below. It leaves little room to argue that there’s no corruption going on.
Themes
Selfishness, Greed, and Corruption Theme Icon
Family and Community Theme Icon
Mayor Cole says that curiosity is a dangerous and unhealthy quality, especially now when Ember is going through tough times and needs people to stay in line. Lina ignores the mayor and begins to plan as Mayor Cole says that it’s his job to understand things too complex for other citizens to grasp. When the mayor says that he’s doing things for the good of others, Lina says that’s hogwash. This angers the mayor, and he suggests that Lina should spend time in the Prison Room. The mayor reaches for his bell to call the guards back, but the lights go out.
Remember that for someone like Mayor Cole, who has lots of power and is sneaking around, curiosity in others is dangerous—it could, and it has, led to others figuring out that he’s abusing his power. This is why he tries to insist that he’s the only person smart enough to know what’s going on; if he’s the smartest person, nobody else will feel comfortable asking questions.
Themes
Selfishness, Greed, and Corruption Theme Icon
Censorship Theme Icon
Lina already knows where to go. She leaps up, knocks over the table to cover the sound of her footsteps, and dashes out the door. She takes the stairs up and knows that if she can get onto the roof, she can get down to the street. The lights come back on just as she bursts onto the roof. Carefully, Lina ducks down and listens to the clock chiming, announcing the start of the Singing. She pauses to look at the people below, all excited to sing their songs. As the first song, “The Song of the City,” begins, Lina feels a rush of joy and sadness. The song winds down and Lina looks out over the city she loves. She only has five minutes to meet Doon, but sadness in her chest makes her pause. She isn’t sure she can leave Poppy behind.
What Lina is able to do while the lights are out indicates that if she has a plan and a goal, the dark doesn’t have to be so scary—she just has to commit and go for it. The emotions that run through Lina’s mind during “The Song of the City” make it clear that even as she’s trying to leave Ember, Lina is still absolutely a part of the city and of her small family unit. Singing about the city makes it clear to Lina that leaving Poppy is a strange and difficult proposition, as Poppy represents Lina’s only blood family now.
Themes
Family and Community Theme Icon
“The Song of the River” begins. It always makes Lina uneasy but this year, it seems to be urging her to go. Finally, “The Song of Darkness” begins. It’s the saddest and most majestic song. Suddenly, the lights go out again. Voices falter, but then rise more powerfully than before. Lina joins them and sings through the end of the song. After it ends, there’s nothing but silence. Lina considers telling everyone then and there about her and Doon’s discovery, but before she can say anything, she hears the crowd erupt in panic. She hopes for the lights to come back on but, in the distance, sees what she realizes is a candle. It must be Doon. The lights flicker and come back on, and Lina joins the crowd with a plan.
Joining in on “The Song of Darkness” in the dark shows clearly that Lina is still a part of Ember, even if she’s currently an outsider. Catching sight of the candle in the distance reminds Lina that though she may have connections to Ember as a whole, she also has a strong friendship with Doon that, if she chooses to lean into it, will give her the strength to do the right thing and leave Ember.
Themes
Family and Community Theme Icon
Get the entire The City of Ember LitChart as a printable PDF.
The City of Ember PDF