The Toll

“‘In the best of worlds, this operation would have happened a long time ago.’

To which Possuelo responded, ‘In case you haven’t noticed, this is no longer the best of worlds.’”

The author uses irony and humor to alleviate the tension in the plot. Here, Possuelo makes a darkly funny joke about their world collapsing into a dystopia, introducing the theme of The Ethics of Immortality and Population Control.

“I have found that building a sandbox around a domineering child, then allowing that child to preside over it, frees the adults to do the real work.”

The novel often discusses how to deal with power-hungry people, illustrating the theme of The Relationship Between Power and Corruption. Here, Faraday uses the metaphor of the domineering child for Bob Sykora; it is best to let Sykora play in his sandbox, while Loriana secretly runs the show. Faraday’s observation suggests that those who often desire power the most are the least suited to actually wielding it.

“But as an artist, Ezra wanted to be more than just acceptable. He wanted to be exceptional. Because if he couldn't be exceptional, what was the point?”

One of the subtle threads running through the novel is Shusterman’s metacommentary on artists and the process of creativity. Here, Ezra is a gentle caricature of the young artist who hankers for exceptionalism, rather than focusing on the creative process as an end in itself.

“‘Scythe Anastasia is not your concern.’

‘She's my only concern.’”

Rowan and Citra’s love story, spanning the entire series (See: Background), forms the novel’s emotional center. Rowan’s response to Possuelo paints him as the archetype of the romantic hero, whose quest focuses on his love. Rowan and Citra also embody the literary trope of star-crossed lovers since they have not been able to unite since the first book.

“One could say, Ayn, that he has cast himself as Atlas. Which means the slightest shrug can shake the world.”

An instance of Shusterman’s use of literary reference, this statement by Scythe Constantine evokes the book Atlas Shrugged by author Ayn Rand, Ayn’s Patron Historic. It is also an analogy, comparing the mythical figure of Atlas holding the globe with Goddard controlling the world’s fate. Constantine warns Ayn that such absolute power can only lead to disaster, reflecting The Relationship Between Power and Corruption.

“Now Goddard paces, whipping his fury into a caustic meringue.”

This line is an instance of Shusterman’s use of literary devices to animate the narrative. Goddard’s working himself into a fury is compared implicitly—through a metaphor—to the vigorous beating of eggs and sugar to frothy meringue.

“‘It never happens to us,’ they would say, ‘or to anyone we know’…A fine philosophy until the terrible thing comes to you.”

Munira’s observations about people’s willing ignorance of the growing feudalism in their universe speak to The Ethics of Immortality and Population Control, as their world is becoming anything but ideal.

“Power for power’s sake is a consuming addiction.”

Possuelo’s comment to the recently revived Citra illustrates the nature of power. Goddard may have become Over Blade of North Merica, but that does not mean his ambitions are sated. He will continue to expand his dominion because absolute power defines itself in relation to its subjects. It needs to find new subjects to dominate and control, leading to The Relationship Between Power and Corruption.

“Greyson found it absurd that the Thunderhead could say something like ‘my plan for humanity’ in the same unconcerned way a person might say ‘my recipe for cheesecake.’”

The dialogue between Greyson and the Thunderhead is sometimes the source of humor in the text. Since the Thunderhead is programmed to express itself in an even, formal tone, Greyson frequently gets annoyed by the lack of small talk. Such instances humanize the relationship between Greyson and the AI.

“You can't expose a lie without first shattering the will to believe it. That is why leading people to truth is so much more effective than merely telling them.”

SubSaharan High Blade Tenka’s statement to Citra suggests that being told the truth is spoon-feeding while discovering the truth makes it stick. That is why Tenka wants Citra to find out the truth about scythedom’s problematic history on her own, which also reflects the novel’s wider concern with The Necessity of Change for Growth on an individual level.

“Mountains are created by upheaval. I’m sure it doesn’t look pretty at the time.”

Jeri’s pithy statements illustrate the text’s central theme of The Necessity of Change for Growth. Citra despairs that the world is changing for the worse, but Jeri uses the metaphor of mountain formation to tell her the change may be necessary.

“Grief, grief, and more grief!”

The Thunderhead’s anguished response after it witnesses the Mile High gleanings shows its empathy. The irony here is that the AI is far more compassionate to humans than the humans themselves.

“‘We're exploring the possibility of building a wall to stem the exodus.’

‘Don't be ridiculous,’ Goddard said. ‘Only idiots build walls.’”

An example of the novel’s humor and a sly reference to contemporary politics, this conversation between Ayn and Goddard discusses how to prevent panicked people from leaving Fulcrum City. Goddard feels building a wall to keep people away is foolish, which is a satirical dig at US President Trump’s plan to build a wall to keep immigrants away. However, Goddard’s alternative, killing people, is not much better, showing that authoritarian rulers rarely offer good solutions.

“For you, Honorable Scythe Anastasia, I would die a thousand deaths at my own hand. But one will be sufficient.”

Jeri’s gallant statement shows Jeri’s innate heroism as well as affection for Citra. While adding emotional heft to the story, it also illustrates how the saving of humankind is the result of multiple sacrifices by many people.

“Whatever they choose to call it, the cloud’s benevolence speaks louder than the words of petty politicians and tyrants.”

The excerpt from Da Vinci’s diary shows his wisdom and foresight. Though people tend to underestimate the Thunderhead (the cloud), Da Vinci can tell that the artificial intelligence is far nicer than human tyrants. In presenting the Thunderhead as a friend of humanity, Shusterman subverts the common science fiction trope of evil robots.

“One of the key scythes responsible was rapidly rising in the ranks of MidMerican scythedom. Even the Patron Historic he had chosen was a secret snub. Dr. Robert Goddard, the rocket scientist who made space flight possible.”

Scythes name themselves after historical or mythical figures they find inspirational, such as Anastasia Romanov. Goddard perversely chooses the name of the man credited with inventing the first liquid-fueled rocket. The truth is Goddard is hellbent on destroying space missions because they may threaten the power of scythes.

“‘If we gleaned every asshole,’ Scythe Volta had once told Rowan, ‘there’d be virtually no one left.’”

After the LoneStar scythes assign Rowan yet more people to glean, he reflects on the sad rationale for killing others. If it is based on someone being a jerk, then everyone should be gleaned, as Scythe Volta told Rowan. Developing a conscience after his many killings, Volta gleaned himself in Scythe.

“All resonates.

The past, the present, and the future.

The tales we hear as children—the stories we then pass on—have happened, are happening, or will happen soon enough. If not, then the stories would not exist. They resonate in our hearts because they are true. Even the ones that begin as lies.”

Cirrus’s reflection illustrates the novel’s important textual element of how facts and myths, technology and philosophy, form a continuum. Cirrus knows Greyson’s arrival on the atoll will be mythologized in the far future. However, Cirrus does not consider myths lies because they speak to an emotional truth.

“‘How did you get here?’

‘I hitched a ride with a bunch of dead people.’”

Rowan is irreverent and humorous, despite all the grimness he has encountered. His comment here injects a dose of lightness into the tense proceedings. Rowan did indeed hitch a ride with the dead because he has arrived at the atoll in the same refrigerated crates as the dead Tonists.

“Citra Terranova was not someone who ran away from things, but she also knew when it was time to move on.”

One of the novel’s central ideas is the importance of knowing when to give things up and embrace The Necessity of Change for Growth. The noblest characters in the text are those who do not cling to power and old ideas. Accordingly, Citra immediately decides that it is time to leave the Earth for a more hopeful future with Rowan.

“‘We are imperfect beings,’ Munira said. ‘How could we ever fit in a perfect world?’”

Munira’s statement to Faraday sums up the message at the heart of the novel: It is futile to engineer a perfect solution to humankind’s problems because people are themselves imperfect. A perfect solution like immortality or scythedom or the fail-safe are all bound to grow corrupt because humanity in all its messy glory cannot fit into a box, which reflects the key theme of The Ethics of Immortality and Population Control.

“‘Rise!’ The Toll called, amid the fearsome Thunder. ‘Rise and leave this place behind, for I have set a place for you on high. Then the Toll stood in the ring of fire, and, arms outstretched in the brimstone flames, he raised us up to the womb of Heaven, where we slept until the Tone called us to be reborn.’”

This extract from “A Testament of the Toll” illustrates how facts become legends. The ring of fire is the explosion from the departing spaceship, while the reborn Tonists are the revived bodies of the deadish. The womb of Heaven is the new planet in which the Tonists live.

“‘I despise you,’ said Rowan.

‘Now you do, yes,’ said Cirrus, ‘but remember: I know you, Rowan. There’s a very high probability that your hatred won’t last.’

‘But in the meantime,’ said Rowan, ‘I’ll really enjoying hating you.’

‘I completely understand.’

Which only made Rowan hate Cirrus all the more.”

Since Citra and Rowan are headed for a new, hopeful beginning, Rowan is increasingly shown in light-hearted, humorous conversations as the book ends. Rowan is angry at Cirrus for not placing him in the ship’s hold with the frozen Citra. Cirrus’s understanding attitude only comes across as deadpanning, enhancing the humor of the exchange.