Previous
Chapter 15
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The 5th Wave, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trust and Belief
Survival and Perseverance
Warfare and Dehumanization
Family
Summary
Analysis
On Cassie’s last day at the refugee camp, she woke at dawn on a Sunday to the sound of people moving around. A helicopter flew overhead, and people rejoiced that they’d be rescued. But the helicopter just kept going out of sight. Still, people had faith that the People in Charge would rescue them.
People look toward the helicopter with a faith that is almost religious. While Cassie’s father has a positive faith in the resilience of humanity, these other people in the camp put their faith in some distant authority to save them, showing how they have failed to accept that their old way of life is gone.
Themes
Cassie’s dad gave her an M16 assault rifle, saying to keep it hidden. He said that if anyone at camp tried to take the rifle from her, she should come to him, and if they still tried to take it, she should shoot them. Cassie hid the M16 behind a tree.
