Theme Of Sacrifice In The Book 'Unwind'

Unwind Theme Essay “The harvesting of Unwinds is a secret medical ritual that stays within the walls of each harvesting clinic in the nation. In this way, it is not unlike death itself, for no one knows what mysteries lie beyond those secret doors, either” (287). Sacrifice in the book Unwind by Neal Shusterman is very different from how we see sacrifice today. Unwind is a dystopian novel based on three teenagers living in a society where unwanted children can be harvested for their body parts. This process called “unwinding” came about as a compromise for the second civil war in America over abortion. These three teens from different backgrounds intertwine to escape their fates. Connor, a boy escaping from an unwanting family, Risa, running

This theme also connects to the idea of sacrifice when Connor takes a baby off the porch of a family who was storked. Him, Risa, and Lev were on the run from unwinding, trying to stay hidden, however Connor sacrificed some of this safety as he heard and saw a family’s disappointment when storked. In the part of the text where connor took the baby right before the mother came out the author states, “ He doesn’t know what he hoped to accomplish coming here…he’s made it his problem” (63). By Connor impulsively taking the baby, it proves that connor went into crisis mode; he didn’t have full control of what he did because his body just remembers what happened when his family was storked. He knows that the right thing to do is take the baby so it doesn’t end up passed around like his did. This proves Connor’s moral integrity and how he’ll do the right thing even when under pressure. Later, Connor shows this same moral integrity once more. One reason Connor and Risa had feelings against Roland is because Roland wanted the power that Connor had throughout the novel. The fight for power is a common craft in dystopian books and helps to support several possible themes in Unwind. Since Roland wanted this power, he had a threat to kill Connor and demonstrated it on page 153 when he lures Connor into the bathroom. He does this by going into the bathroom while Risa is in there, knowing that Connor will follow and hoping that he’ll start a fight. Connor follows however he recognizes his morals and chooses not to fight, therefore leading him to think, “holding his temper in that bathroom was perhaps the hardest thing Connor had ever had to do” (153). This evidence suggests that throughout his life, his morals were tested most when he was running from the process of unwinding. His morals showed through to be strong and even when he was tested, he chose to keep quiet and hold his