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
After leaving CyFi, Lev’s mind is a dark place. On the night that Connor is with the Admiral, Lev sneaks out, as he’s done every night. He sees that the sentries are asleep and thinks that the Admiral was silly to send the Goldens away without good replacements. A girl he met told him to go to a corner of the Graveyard. Lev climbs into the plane and tells Cleaver who sent him. Cleaver is thrilled and introduces Lev to Mai and Blaine. Lev asks if Roland is a part of the group, but Cleaver says that Roland isn’t right for them.
Lev’s questions about Roland speak to Roland’s reputation as a troublemaker—in his mind, of course Roland would be involved with such a group given his penchant for bullying. The fact that Roland isn’t a part of this particular group suggests again that Roland isn’t as all-around horrible as Lev, Connor, Risa, and the reader have all been led to believe.
Themes
Lev says he wants to be a part of the group and tells them his story when asked. Cleaver is thrilled that Lev was a tithe and asks how much Lev hates the people who were going to unwind him. Lev says he hates those people and the people who would get his parts totally and completely, and he wants to make everyone pay. Even Lev is amazed at his fury. He asks Cleaver what they believe. Cleaver says they don’t have a cause, but they believe in messing with the world. Blaine makes a comment about messing with the Admiral, but Cleaver redirects and asks Lev if he’s in. Lev thinks that he’s deeply angry and wants to act on it. He feels like a part of something for the first time since he left home. Cleaver slaps him on the back.
Lev’s surprise at his own fury indicates that his anger is entirely out of control—it’s surprising and possibly scary, even for the person experiencing it. Especially since Lev doesn’t know how to manage his anger, Cleaver is able to channel Lev’s emotions for his own purposes. In this case, Cleaver is a recruiter for the clappers, which means that Lev is getting involved with dangerous, violent things. Further, Blaine’s comment that they messed with the Admiral suggests that this group may be to blame for the Goldens’ death.
Themes
