Scythe

by

Neal Shusterman

Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans Character Analysis

Scythe Faraday, born Gerald Van Der Gans, is an older scythe who, after gleaning Citra's neighbor and a student at Rowan's school, decides to take both teens on as his apprentices. Though Citra and Rowan detest Faraday at first, they soon discover that he's extremely fair, logical, and compassionate. He makes sure that, in addition to learning "killcraft," his apprentices develop their moral compasses, understand the importance of the scythes' job, and never enjoy killing—something that he suggests will rob them of their humanity. Faraday believes that his gleaning victims should be chosen using statistics from accidental deaths from the Age of Mortality, and he also believes that each person he gleans should die in a unique way because all people are unique. This, he suggests, is the best way to honor his victims, though he also makes a point to go to every funeral as a show of respect. An extremely loyal and caring mentor, Faraday self-gleans—or so he leads people to believe—after the Scythedom decides to pass a motion dictating that whichever of Faraday's apprentices doesn't become a scythe, he or she will have to glean the other. This, in theory, frees Citra and Rowan from their apprenticeship, though they’re quickly snatched up by new mentors, thus keeping them in competition with one another. Faraday is distraught when, after Citra discovers him in hiding and retirement in Amazonia, he learns that his plan failed. He resumes Citra's training while she's also in hiding and focuses most on developing her compassion and morality. Citra also learns during this time that Scythe Curie was Faraday's apprentice and, 50 years after she was ordained, the two became lovers and are now good friends. Faraday later comes to the rescue and whisks Rowan away after Citra earns the scythe's ring and refuses to glean him.

Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans Quotes in Scythe

The Scythe quotes below are all either spoken by Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans or refer to Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

The growth of civilization was complete. Everyone knew it. When it came to the human race, there was no more left to learn. Nothing about our own existence to decipher. Which meant that no one person was more important than any other. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, everyone was equally useless.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Citra's Mom, Citra's Dad
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

Suddenly Kohl thrust his hand out, grabbing Rowan's and holding it tightly. Rowan allowed it. He wasn't family; he wasn't even Kohl's friend before today—but what was the saying? Death makes the whole world kin. Rowan wondered if a world without death would then make everyone strangers.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Kohl Whitlock
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

She assumed she would go to college, get a degree in something pleasant, then settle into a comfortable job, meet a comfortable guy, and have a nice, unremarkable life. It's not that she longed for such an existence, but it was expected. Not just of her, but of everyone. With nothing to really aspire to, life had become about maintenance.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Ben, Citra's Mom
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

The idea that not all scythes were good was something neither Rowan or Citra had ever considered. It was widely accepted that scythes adhered to the highest moral and ethical standards. They were wise in their dealings and fair in their choices. Even the ones who sought celebrity were seen to deserve it. The idea that some scythes might not be as honorable as Scythe Faraday did not sit well with either of his new apprentices.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:

"But people could read it. The Scythe Archive is open to everyone."

"Yeah," said Rowan, "like the Thunderhead. People can read anything, but no one does. All they do is play games and watch cat holograms."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch (speaker), Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

He clicked on each name and brought up four pictures. He immediately regretted it, because the moment those names had faces, they became people instead of parameters.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 89
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

"Never lose your humanity," Scythe Faraday had told him, "or you'll be nothing more than a killing machine." He had used the word "killing" rather than "gleaning." Rowan hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he understood; it stopped being gleaning the moment one became desensitized to the act.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker), Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard
Page Number: 239
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 29 Quotes

"But if this really is a scandal in the Scythedom—"

"—then your best possible position would be to achieve scythehood yourself, and fight it from the inside."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Scythe Curie (speaker), Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 319
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

With each gleaning I commit, with each life taken for the good of humanity, I mourn for the boy I once was, whose name I sometimes struggle to remember. And I long for a place beyond immortality where I can, in some small measure, resurrect the wonder, and be that boy again.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker)
Page Number: 369
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There's no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker)
Page Number: 387
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Scythe LitChart as a printable PDF.
Scythe PDF

Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans Quotes in Scythe

The Scythe quotes below are all either spoken by Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans or refer to Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

The growth of civilization was complete. Everyone knew it. When it came to the human race, there was no more left to learn. Nothing about our own existence to decipher. Which meant that no one person was more important than any other. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, everyone was equally useless.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Citra's Mom, Citra's Dad
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

Suddenly Kohl thrust his hand out, grabbing Rowan's and holding it tightly. Rowan allowed it. He wasn't family; he wasn't even Kohl's friend before today—but what was the saying? Death makes the whole world kin. Rowan wondered if a world without death would then make everyone strangers.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Kohl Whitlock
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

She assumed she would go to college, get a degree in something pleasant, then settle into a comfortable job, meet a comfortable guy, and have a nice, unremarkable life. It's not that she longed for such an existence, but it was expected. Not just of her, but of everyone. With nothing to really aspire to, life had become about maintenance.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans, Ben, Citra's Mom
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

The idea that not all scythes were good was something neither Rowan or Citra had ever considered. It was widely accepted that scythes adhered to the highest moral and ethical standards. They were wise in their dealings and fair in their choices. Even the ones who sought celebrity were seen to deserve it. The idea that some scythes might not be as honorable as Scythe Faraday did not sit well with either of his new apprentices.

Related Characters: Citra Terranova, Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:

"But people could read it. The Scythe Archive is open to everyone."

"Yeah," said Rowan, "like the Thunderhead. People can read anything, but no one does. All they do is play games and watch cat holograms."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch (speaker), Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

He clicked on each name and brought up four pictures. He immediately regretted it, because the moment those names had faces, they became people instead of parameters.

Related Characters: Rowan Damisch, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 89
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

"Never lose your humanity," Scythe Faraday had told him, "or you'll be nothing more than a killing machine." He had used the word "killing" rather than "gleaning." Rowan hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he understood; it stopped being gleaning the moment one became desensitized to the act.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker), Rowan Damisch, Scythe Goddard
Page Number: 239
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 29 Quotes

"But if this really is a scandal in the Scythedom—"

"—then your best possible position would be to achieve scythehood yourself, and fight it from the inside."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Scythe Curie (speaker), Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 319
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

With each gleaning I commit, with each life taken for the good of humanity, I mourn for the boy I once was, whose name I sometimes struggle to remember. And I long for a place beyond immortality where I can, in some small measure, resurrect the wonder, and be that boy again.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker)
Page Number: 369
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There's no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.

Related Characters: Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans (speaker)
Page Number: 387
Explanation and Analysis: