65 pages • 2 hours read
Tahereh MafiShatter Me
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary
When Juliette enters the building, she is shocked to see chandeliers and Persian rugs and heating, but when she looks at this luxurious interior, all she can see is the blood of those who must have died to sustain this lifestyle. She remembers many promises that The Reestablishment made: promises of a better future and of restoring “the world with movie dates and spring weddings and baby showers” (63). But now she sees that they stole everything for their own gain; this place is proof of their corruption.
Juliette begins to cry and falls to her knees. Struggling to breathe, Juliette feels Adam carrying her in his arms. For a moment, she wants to discard her hatred of him and forget who he is working for. She wishes that she could touch his skin. They arrive at a door. Adam unlocks it with a key card and steps inside, revealing a beautifully decorated room with a big bed and a lush carpet. Adam tells Juliette that she will be staying there for a while. She asks him to leave. He explains that Warner put her in this room to demonstrate what he is offering her, but until she agrees to cooperate, she is considered a threat, so he has been appointed to watch over her. Learning that Adam will be living with her, Juliette wants to scream, but when she looks at him, all she can see is “an 8-year-old boy who doesn’t remember that he used to be the kindest person [she] ever knew” (66). Adam tells her to get dressed in the bathroom, as this is the only place without cameras. He explains that Warner is expecting her for dinner.
Chapter 12 Summary
After Juliette takes a long shower, she begins to understand that Warner wants to buy her loyalty in exchange for this comfortable life. Juliette is determined that this is not going to happen because she “grew up with nothing and didn’t hate it” (69). Since she was deprived of so much, she was able to see “the world and its lack of compassion, its harsh, grating judgment, and its cold, resentful eyes” (69). Because she had such limited contact with other people, she spent her time reading and bonding with fictional characters. Juliette feels like she has been made of words and sentences, and these things cannot be exchanged for comfort.
Juliette puts on her old clothes and goes into the bedroom. Adam is not there. When Juliette opens the armoire, she finds it full of bright-colored clothes that fit her perfectly. Outraged, she is startled when Adam says that Warner is waiting for her. He tells Juliette that all these clothes are for her, but she responds that she already has clothes and declares to herself that she is no one’s property.
When they arrive at the dining room, Juliette notices that “it’s big enough to feed thousands of orphans” (72), but there are only some people dining with Warner sitting directly in the center. When they enter, the entire room and Warner stand up, and Juliette sees two empty seats on either side of him. When they sit down, Juliette refuses to accept a glass of water and food from him, even though she is thirsty and starving. Juliette doesn’t like the way Warner addresses her, and she snarls at him that she would rather “die than eat [his] food and listen to [him] call [her] love” (74). Warner then pulls out his gun and fires without looking, warning her that she should “choose [her] words very wisely” (74).
Juliette agrees to eat something only after Adam pushes a plate of food in front of her, silently begging her to eat. Warner comments that Adam seems to be the only person Juliette would listen to.
Chapter 13 Summary
Warner releases Adam and accompanies Juliette to her room himself. Although Juliette doesn’t hide her hatred for him, he insists that she might still change her mind. When they are both in the elevator, Juliette asks him how he figured it all out. She then studies his hands, protected by leather gloves, and his body, covered with the thick fabric of his suit. The only uncovered area is his face. Warner doesn’t answer her question and instead suggests that this could be a conversation for tomorrow night and asks her to wear something nice. Juliette asks him for his first name, but he doesn’t answer and incites her to show him what she can do. When Juliette refuses to touch him, he calls a soldier, Jenkins, to accompany Juliette downstairs. As Warner instructs Jenkins not to let go of Juliette no matter what, the girl starts running away.
She doesn’t run far when soldiers surround her. Warner commands Jenkins to seize Juliette, and even though she begs him not to touch her, he grabs her arm. She feels his pain, his power “pouring out of his body” (80), and Juliette hates herself for not feeling any pain. On the contrary, she feels more empowered and alive than before.
Juliette knows that he cannot let go of her and that she is the only one who can break this connection. She falls back and kicks him away, breaking free. She screams for someone to help him when Warner approaches her and tries to calm her down.
Chapter 14 Summary
When Juliette wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar room. She feels someone touching her shoulders and notices Warner by her side. She snarls at him to get his hands off of her, but he looks undisturbed. Juliette sits up and looks around: the room is similar to the one she occupies, but in this one, there is a candle burning on a table in the corner.
When Juliette asks Warner where she is, he tells her that she is in his room. He offers her a glass of water and some food, but she refuses to accept it. She asks him why he is being so nice to her, and he responds that he needs her. He assures Juliette that he is very capable of killing people and that’s why his father put him in charge of this sector. Juliette accuses him of killing people for power, and he tells her that she does the same, that’s why it took her so long to break her connection with Jenkins. She snaps that he doesn’t know anything about her and once again refuses to accept the food he’s offering. Warner tells her she can’t go back to her room and must stay here, and that he will be back in the morning. Before leaving, he says he can’t promise to make things easier for her, with “no regret, no remorse, no sympathy in his voice” (88). Although Juliette tries to stay awake, exhaustion takes over her, and she falls into a deep sleep.
Chapter 15 Summary
As promised, Warner returns in the morning and tells Juliette that it’s time for her to go back to her room. When they walk outside, Juliette notices that there are even more soldiers there than on her floor, and upon seeing her, “all of them betray a look of terror” (91). Warner notices this too, and he seems pleased with it, assuring Juliette that “their fear will work in [her] favor” because now they know “what they are up against” (91, 92). Juliette realizes that Warner made her torture Jenkins on purpose, while other soldiers were watching it.
They enter the elevator, and Warner moves close to Juliette and holds her arms. He tells her that she knows little about his world and that he has no idea how many of his own soldiers hate him. He blames her for being naive and for failing to see that everyone in this building wants to harm her, so in demonstrating her power to everyone, he is protecting her.
Before leaving, he tells her that he will be back in one hour and that she should wear a dress. She snaps that she doesn’t like dresses but then notices Adam standing near her door. Although it’s dark, she can tell that someone has hurt him. She now realizes that if she disobeys, Adam will be punished. Even though he betrayed her, she cannot stand seeing “the boy [she] used to know” tortured (95). The only words Adam says to her is to wear the purple dress, but that’s enough for Juliette to decide that she will be “the perfect mannequin” (95).
Chapters 11-15 Analysis
These chapters reveal a new side of Juliette. When she arrives at The Reestablishment facility and sees a grand interior, she is not tempted to enjoy this abundance; instead, she reflects on the fates of those who had to die to sustain this luxury, and her mindset reflects The Importance of Resisting Tyranny in all its forms. Although Warner has ordered her relocation to this facility so that he can show her the benefits of working for The Reestablishment, Juliette remains unshaken in her resolve not to help them. However, The Impact of Physical and Emotional Isolation has rendered her ambivalent toward Adam; although she feels betrayed by his actions, she also finds comfort in the fact that even while she is in the hands of Warner and his soldiers, Adam is by her side. Adam, too, struggles from inner conflict and indicates his desire to help Juliette despite his role as a soldier for The Reestablishment.
Despite Warner’s elaborate plan, Juliette sustains the will to resist his recruitment attempts. Because she has been ostracized and isolated for so long, she has invested her time not in pursuing material possessions but in observing the world and learning more about it through books. Reading has made her more open-minded and resistant to manipulation, and with her immersion in the power of the written word, she demonstrates a quiet version of Embracing Hope as a Form of Defiance.
Juliette doesn’t understand how Warner can pursue his personal interests at the expense of other people, but it is clear to her that he is driven by his thirst for power. She demonstrates great courage by resisting all of his attempts to get her to cooperate despite her certainty that he can easily punish her for her defiance. However, it is also significant that Warner finds her weakness—her affection for Adam—and uses it to manipulate her. He knows that although she can endure great pain, she would never want to see Adam suffer. Thus, although Adam’s presence fills Juliette with a sense of comfort, it also makes her more vulnerable.
Related Titles
By Tahereh Mafi
