112 pages • 3 hours read
Neal ShustermanUnwind
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Loneliness
Loneliness is a consistent motif throughout the narrative. Connor fears running away without his friend Ariana because he does not want to be alone. Risa feels lonely when her teacher, a father figure, won’t look at her when she is taken away. And Lev feels like the odd-man out when he is kidnapped. He is further confused when Pastor Dan tells him to run. Overall, all three experience loneliness, and feel better when they have a companion. The loneliness represents each Unwind’s position as an “other.” Connor and Risa pleadingly ask the teacher not to rat them about because they want her to be human. Unfortunately, as Unwinds, they are not viewed as human. At the same time, they don’t view anyone who participates in or supports the process of Unwinding as human. As “others,” Risa and Connor are hidden away—secrets not worthy of being discussed. Only together do they defeat loneliness.
The Graveyard
The Graveyard is a symbol of hope throughout the novel. For many Unwinds it is a myth, much like the Akron AWOL, but it is a myth worth clinging to. These kids are lonely, they have little hope. They ran away to escape the horrible fate awaiting them and their goal is to be safe. The Graveyard presents the opportunity for safety. Though none of them are physically dead, they are dead in the eyes of their parents, their loved ones, and the law. The Graveyard represents the symbolic deaths of each Unwind who makes it there. Once they leave—when they are eighteen—they are alive again.
Wholeness
Another motif is wholeness. Being unwound means being taken apart piece by piece. Supporters of this process suggest that although an Unwound would be scattered, they would make others whole. However, as evidenced by Connor, Risa, and Lev’s journey, wholeness to Unwinds means being whole in their current form. Even Roland, who never outwardly states he wants to stay whole, is said to value the nuclear family, which can be seen as a whole unit. What wholeness means to each Unwind is being alive, staying themselves, and having the right to exist. At the end of the novel, both Risa and Connor could be said to be less-than-whole. However, both have survived, and both beat unwinding. In that way, they are whole.
Betrayal
Acts of betrayal recur throughout the novel. Connor’s experience with his parents, who never tell him he’s going to be unwound, is the first big betrayal of the novel. On top of this, Ariana tells Connor she will run away with him. However, betrayal strikes once more when she changes her mind and he is left alone. The betrayal each character meets contributes to their loneliness. Who can they trust but their fellow “others”? It seems the answer is no one until the end of the novel. While Roland—a fellow Unwind—betrays Connor and Risa, the novel ends with someone outside their circle—CyFi—advocating against unwinding.
Related Titles
By Neal Shusterman
