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 sits in her orientation session and thinks that the camp is trying to set Connor up to fail so they can unwind him. She knows that Connor won’t do the wrong thing unless it’s the right thing to do. Risa always pictured harvest camps as akin to cattle stockades, but the beauty of the place makes it even worse. Unwinds spends much of their day exercising and Risa soon realizes that there are cameras watching to put a price on their parts. The counselor asks Risa if she has questions, and Risa asks what happens to bad or useless parts, like a deaf ear or an appendix. The counselor points out that some people can only afford deaf ears, and because they only have to use 99.44 percent of an Unwind, they can dispose of appendices. The counselor only takes genuine interest in Risa when Risa admits she plays piano.
The counselor’s explanation that some people can only afford deaf ears reveals how deeply economics influences the wider unwinding system. It also reflects the reality that there are people in the world of the novel who cannot afford the best medical care, like Emby—and it means that there are likely others who can’t afford medical care at all, and in some cases, likely die rather than receive an organ that’s not entirely functional. This increases the sense that this system is unjust, as it shows how many more people are vulnerable and can’t survive the system.
Themes
