Freedom In The Perfect Match, By Marie Lu

Freedom is described as the power or right to speak, think, or act as one wants without restraint. But, does that mean that everyone can say whatever they want whenever they want? Unfortunately, today’s society has an opposing idea on freedom. Today, freedom isn’t completely free, and one wrong move can redirect someone’s privileges of speech to the wrong hands, no matter how hard they try to keep it themselves. In the novel, Legend, Marie Lu writes an intricate story about the Republic’s most wanted criminal, Day, and his life after failing the Trial, which is a test everyone takes on their 10th birthday that decides the course of their life. Additionally, Kevin Liu’s short story, The Perfect Match, illustrates the life of Sai, an ordinary

In the novel Legend, Day explains what happens when someone takes the Trial. The Trail contains many different sections, and “[several] different things could happen after [someone takes] the Trial.” Like any other test, failing the Trial follows with a series of consequences, such as, “the Republic [sending] officials to [one’s] family’s home.” Once the Republic sends the officials to their home, “[they] make [their] parents sign a contract giving the government full custody over [them].” (Lu 6-7) Failing the Trial shows how freedom isn’t guaranteed because if one does fail, the government takes full accountability for them. Day also grows to be more careful-minded about his actions, as he realizes how one wrong move can change his life. Once everything in Day’s life seems to go wrong, he thinks it’d be best for him to “cross the whole country alone and escape into the Colonies”, but as Day keeps brainstorming this idea, he realizes that “there are a dozen reasons [he] can’t go.” (Lu

Sai, the main character, loves Tilly’s thoughtful thinking and suggestions that are just right for him. Sai even tells Tilly that, “[she] always [knows] best.” (Liu 2). As Sai is leaving his house to go to work one morning, his neighbor, Jenny, warns Sai that Tilly is a mind-controlling device that can read people’s minds. Sai gets shocked when Jenny blurts out that “Tilly doesn’t just tell [someone] what [they] want, [she] tells [someone] what to think.” Sai ignores Jenny and starts heading to his car, but once Jenny asks the question, “[do] you even know what you...want anymore?” (Liu 3), Sai starts to question his thoughts about Tilly. After work and a skeptical date designed by Tilly, Sai discovers Tilly might be a mind-controlling device when she suggests dessert after dinner. After the suggestion, “Sai realized that though he hadn’t been aware of it until just then, he did suddenly have a craving for something sweet and delicate.” Jenny’s question pops back into Sai’s mind as Sai comes up with a conclusion of how “Tilly doesn’t just tell [someone] what [they] want. She tells [them] what to think.” (Liu 5) Sai’s realization makes him come to an understanding that he doesn’t have freedom anymore, since Tilly is telling him what to