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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Noughts and Crosses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism, Division, and Tragedy
Awareness and Privilege
Love, Lust, Power, and Violence
Friendship
Youth, Innocence, and Growing Up
Family
Summary
Analysis
Dad once said that once the Liberation Militia gets you, they never let go. Callum gets that now. Over the last few years, he’s worked his way up from tea boy, to grunt, to private, to sergeant. He also took care of the girls who beat Sephy up—Dionne, Lola, and Joanne—and made sure that Dionne in particular suffered. Callum lost some of himself when he did this, but that’s okay. The Callum who sat on the beach and watched the sunset doesn’t exist anymore.
The way that Callum introduces this chapter suggests he feels trapped in the Liberation Militia now. He doesn’t seem to regret the opportunities the LM has given him, such as getting revenge on the three girls that beat Sephy up. But understanding that he’s stuck with the LM implies that perhaps Callum does miss his old self, the one that sat on the beach—but he doesn’t think he can return to that state anymore.
Themes
Now, Callum is in a cell with three others, Pete (who’s in charge), Morgan, and Leila. Callum was the one to bring Leila into the group when he watched her brutally take down a few Cross men who insulted her when she asked for money for a coffee. She was so grateful for the opportunity to join the LM that she offered to have sex with Callum. He refused, but mostly because he doesn’t want distractions.
The way that Callum frames turning down Leila and not wanting “distractions” suggests that he’s fully committed to his work with the LM. As he learned with Sephy, romance can complicate things—and for now, he doesn’t believe making things complicated is worth it.
Themes
Note that the first-person narration means that Callum is the one insisting he’s lost his soul—so he could be telling the truth, or this could be wishful thinking. Indeed, noting that he misses Mum suggests that Callum is still somewhat in touch with his emotions.
Themes
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Just after Callum turns 19, the LM command sends word that they’re sending a lieutenant to the cell to “assess [the] cell’s ‘efficiency.’” Pete is enraged, but he puts everyone to work taking inventory and cleaning. When he’s sure everything is in order in their headquarters in the tunnels under Celebration Park, the cell sits down for dinner. But as they start to eat, Jude appears and asks why no one is guarding the door. Callum leaps up, but Jude tells him to sit down if he’s not in charge. Pete stands, and Callum catches the look in Jude’s eye. Jude doesn’t trust him—and that means the entire cell is in danger.
Celebration Park was a special place for Callum and Sephy. The fact that it’s now Callum’s LM cell’s headquarters shows that Callum is (purposefully or otherwise) corrupting these happy places and memories from his past as he gets deeper in the LM. When Jude turns out to be the lieutenant and clearly doesn’t trust Callum, Callum knows he’s going to have to deal with old family trauma he previously thought he'd left behind.
Themes
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