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
CyFi fears that in Joplin, his mind is going to spill out of his ears. The boy in his head doesn’t speak, but he emotes and doesn’t understand that he’s part of CyFi. When the boy can’t find memories or words he wants, he hurls anger, fear, and grief at CyFi. CyFi and Lev wander Joplin, looking for streets that the kid in CyFi’s head recognizes. They finally find an ice cream shop and the high school and realize that the kid was on the fencing team—it’s customary to steal opposing teams’ swords. CyFi feels the other kid take over. He has to assure the kid that Lev is a friend.
The way that CyFi describes inhabiting his brain with this other boy shows that unwinding is in no way as easy, ethical, and beneficial as its proponents would have others believe. In particular, the Unwind’s grief and anger suggest that the suffering of knowing one is unwanted doesn’t end when they’re unwound—that trauma continues, possibly for the rest of their life.
Themes
CyFi turns a corner and says that “they” are going to be mad that he’s late for dinner. He speaks in a voice that’s not his own. CyFi notices a cop car following them and sees another in front of a house he knows is his. Across the street, the dads get out of their car and approach. CyFi says in his odd voice that he has to do this and tells the cops to not bother Lev. The cops frisk CyFi before letting him approach a couple standing at the door of the house. CyFi recognizes them and can’t separate his emotions from the kid’s. The woman asks CyFi if he’s Tyler, and CyFi knows that he is. CyFi/Tyler mimes what he wants, thinking it’s a weapon. He realizes he needs a shovel, and Tyler’s dad sends CyFi to the shed.
Again, this experience impresses upon everyone watching—Lev, the dads, and Tyler’s parents—that unwinding doesn’t just make a troubled kid go away. Instead, at least in the case of brain transplants, it just foists that kid on someone else, harming the recipient emotionally in the process and leading them to do things they might not otherwise do, hence CyFi’s solo trip to Joplin.
Themes
CyFi/Tyler grabs the shovel and heads to the back corner of the yard. He starts to dig and unearths a briefcase. When he opens it, CyFi/Tyler freezes: it’s filled with jewelry. Tyler thinks that he might be able to fix things if he can give it back and with a handful of jewelry, he runs to his parents, drops it at their feet, and begs them to not unwind him. CyFi realizes that Tyler doesn’t know he’s already been unwound.
While CyFi may literally get another perspective by having Tyler in his head, Tyler is unable to experience that same perspective since there’s no way for him to know that he’s already been unwound. This shows that there are major ethical issues with unwinding, as Tyler’s trauma suggests this isn’t at all humane.
Themes
