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Chapter 3
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Last Cuentista, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Story and Memory
Assimilation vs. Diversity
Family
Resistance, Courage, and Kindness
Summary
Analysis
Back in the present, Petra and her family board the spaceship. A Monitor named Ben, who oversees the children’s section of the ship, introduces himself and welcomes them inside. Petra’s mother holds onto her arm as they walk so that Petra doesn’t give away her retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that limits her field of vision. They’re worried that the government organizers of the trip will kick Petra off the ship if they find out about her “genetic defect.” Ben gives the Peñas a tour of the massive, luxurious ship.
In this section, Petra elaborates on her visual impairment. She implies that the government is concerned about having good breeding stock to populate the new planet, which is why they would refuse her entry if they knew that she had a disability. This is a good example of what the man from the news described: in her current society, Petra’s difference is likely to cause her suffering if it's discovered.
Active
Themes
On the tour, Ben and the Peñas see a sapling planted in the middle of a park. Petra’s mother explains that she had the offspring of Hyperion, Earth’s tallest tree, planted as a symbol of resilience. The tree will be fed with lab-developed nutrients that she invented during her career as a botanist. The group reaches the teen stasis room. Inside, the Lead Monitor stands in front of a blond teen. When she sees Petra looking at her, she frowns and shuts the door. As they move on, Ben tells Petra’s parents that their stasis room will be on the opposite end of the ship from the youth stasis room, where Petra and Javier will sleep.
Active
Themes
