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Chapter 17
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
After the children left the refugee camp, Hutchfield told Cassie’s dad that Colonel Vosch from the army was planning to hold a briefing. He confiscated Cassie’s dad’s rifle first, saying it was standard procedure. Cassie’s dad handed it over, and the colonel prepared to give a briefing.
The confiscation of Cassie’s dad’s rifle is another sign that danger may be imminent. This passage sets up another one of the novel’s dilemmas: It is dangerous to have a gun (because you might accidentally shoot an innocent person like the Crucifix Soldier) but it is also dangerous to be without a gun, especially when others are armed.
Themes
