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
Risa thinks that the Juvey-cops all look the same, like bullies, as she studies the one guarding her. She asks the cop how it feels to send kids to their end. In reply, he asks what it’s like to live a life nobody else thinks is worth anything. Enraged, Connor asks if anyone thinks that the cop’s life is worth living. This gets to the cop, but he suggests that unwound kids are happier. Risa tries to find a silver lining in this, but she can’t. She knew that getting caught was a risk, but now, all of her hopes for the future are gone.
Though none of these characters know what happened to CyFi, the reader is now aware that what the cop says about unwound kids being happier likely isn’t true. Because the reader has this perspective that the characters don’t, they’re able to see that, if all goes well, unwinding could soon be considered inhumane and banned.
Themes
