Literary Devices In Unwind

Neal Shusterman’s novel, Unwind, published in 2007, follows three teenagers, Lev, Connor and Risa. The book revolves around the idea of being Unwound, which the book quotes as” The process by which a child is both terminated yet kept alive”. Shusterman portrays this through clever narration with metaphors and a vast array of other literary devices with private looks at characters’ lives and thoughts that respond to actions around them, showing that Lev is proof that terrorists can be created by the society in which they live, as they are responding(albeit myopically) to how they have been treated. In response to social pressures, Lev becomes a clapper who detonates a bomb inside themselves once clapping, proving this, with this, trying to connect to real life and current-day situations

Lev's conflicting thoughts show that he does not want to be a clapper, which Shusterman uses to portray a suicide bomber, but he needs to, pleading, "God, dear God, what am I doing? What have I done? How did I get here?" The urgency in this example portrayed by the repetition of "God" shows that he is upset by his actions and decisions, again shown when Shusterman writes, “Lev is amazed by the depth of his fury.” Shusterman portrays how Lev being shocked by his fury shows self-awareness and that he knows he is somewhat over-reacting, again shown when Lev says, "I am lost in every possible way." but still he depends on someone else to stop him, even repenting to God, in which he was a firm believer. Tying into the next point, Lev believes society deserves punishment in the quote, “Someone has to pay for the unfairness of it all. Everyone has to pay. He’ll make them." Again, tying to the fact that he thinks he needs to give revenge, regardless of his