Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Unwind, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Inequality, Injustice, and the Law
Anger, Violence, and Radicalization
Activism, Compassion, and Atonement
Morality and Perspective
Summary
Analysis
Ariana tells Connor that he’s smart enough to survive to age 18. Connor isn’t sure about this, but Ariana makes him feel more confident. She begins to cry, which makes Connor feel momentarily invincible, but soon he once again feels like a kid marked for unwinding in one week. He focuses on the traffic rushing below them and thinks that being in such a dangerous spot makes him feel alive. Ariana suggests that they run away, since she’s fed up with life too. Connor latches on, as kicking-AWOL alone is terrifying. He asks Ariana to go with him and kisses her. She agrees.
What comes through most strongly in the novel’s opening lines is how powerless Connor is. His relationship with Ariana can make him momentarily feel like he’s in control, but in reality, Connor is alone in the world and vulnerable since he’s going to be unwound. Sitting on the overpass also suggests that Connor is a thrill seeker, and later, the novel will link this to Connor’s anger—another reason he’s vulnerable and in danger.
Themes
Connor gets home and greets his dad, who’s watching the news. The clappers blew up an Old Navy. Connor makes a joke about this, but Connor’s dad doesn’t laugh. Connor thinks that his parents don’t know he knows he’s being unwound. A few weeks ago, Connor found three tickets to the Bahamas. More sleuthing revealed the Unwind order for Connor, which they scheduled for the day before leaving for the Bahamas. Connor managed to control his anger and has spent the last few weeks being especially kind and doing well in school, so they feel horrible. It hasn’t made him feel any better, and now he feels sorry for them.
Connor and his parents’ emotional roller coaster after he finds the Unwind order speaks to the difficult situation unwinding puts everyone in. For Connor’s parents, this is an irreversible decision, while for Connor, this is the ultimate betrayal and impresses upon him that his parents both don’t love him and don’t value his bodily autonomy. That he can feel sorry for them in spite of this indicates that Connor is a compassionate person, even if he’s angry.
Themes
At two a.m., Connor gets up and packs. He heads to Ariana’s house and dials her number. He hears it ring inside and thinks she was supposed to leave her phone on vibrate. He sneaks around to the front porch and Ariana opens the door. She’s wearing pajamas and says that it’s a bad time—her sister’s getting married, and she has to go to school. Connor points out that running away is the only way to save his life, since he’s going to be unwound. Ariana points out that she’s not going to be unwound and closes the door.
Ariana’s betrayal introduces the idea that it is, at times, very easy to stand by and do nothing, especially when one isn’t in danger themselves. Though the novel certainly condemns this kind of inaction and suggests that it is selfish and short-sighted, it also offers insight into why unwinding has been allowed to go on for so long: those who aren’t at risk see no reason to fight it.
Themes
Connor knows that being cautious is the only way to survive to 18, at which point they can’t unwind him. He heads down to a rest stop by the interstate, thinking that he could sneak into a semitruck. He waits until he sees a few cop cars arrive and circle the lot. He dives under a truck, notices a trucker leaving the door to his sleeping compartment open, and races across the lot and into the truck. There’s not much space to hide, and the trucker returns for a jacket and catches Connor. Connor begs for help, and inexplicably the trucker grabs a deck of cards and begins doing tricks. He tells Connor that after an accident, the arm—which came from an unwound kid who knew card tricks—was grafted on at the elbow.
The trucker begins to add more nuance to the novel’s premise by showing that the existence of unwinding means that someone like him doesn’t have to live without an arm, something that allows him to keep his job and not have to adjust to life with a serious disability. However, the idea that his new arm maintains the muscle memory to perform card tricks suggests that unwinding is a complex procedure, as seems that receiving the Unwind’s arm has somehow imbued the truck driver with the Unwind’s consciousness.
Themes
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The trucker introduces himself as Josias Aldridge and agrees to let Connor ride with him until morning. Connor nods and wakes to shouting police. He thinks that Josias ratted him out, but the Juvey-cops point their weapons at Connor’s classmate, Andy Jameson, in another truck. Andy catches Connor’s eye and his look of despair turns to triumph. He leads the cops away from Connor and Connor cries as Josias begins to drive away. Connor wakes up from a good dream about his dad caring for him when his phone rings. It’s his dad. A voice tells Connor to get out of the truck, and Connor crawls out to see Juvey-cops and his dad. Connor’s dad calls him “son,” which fills Connor with rage.
Pay attention to the fact that Connor’s dad’s appearance fills Connor with rage, as his following actions will show how Connor’s problems with anger management lead him to make dangerous and poor decisions. However, it’s also perfectly understandable that Connor would have this kind of reaction. Connor trusted his dad to care for him and unwinding still feels like the ultimate betrayal in Connor’s mind.
Themes
Connor bolts across the interstate. Juvey-cops shoot tranquilizer bullets at him as he climbs over the median. A Cadillac almost hits him, but it swerves and stops. Connor sees a terrified kid dressed in white in the backseat. He reaches in through the window and opens the door.
Racing across a freeway is both extremely dangerous and surprisingly effective, which makes it clear that as Connor goes on and tries to survive, danger is going to be a fact of life.
Themes
