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Chapter 21
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
While hiding in the ashpit of burned corpses, Cassie heard the soldiers discover Branch’s body. They also found her backpack. One soldier said it didn’t matter if Cassie got away because “The Eye” will get her regardless. Eventually the soldiers seemed to leave, and Cassie cautiously snuck out of hiding to retrieve her backpack (including Sammy’s teddy bear) and her M16. Cassie considered taking off Branch’s mask to see if he was human or not but then decided it didn’t matter.
The reference to “the Eye” is yet another example of how Cassie’s enemies want to break her spirit by giving the impression that she’s being watched. Meanwhile, Cassie’s decision to hold on to Sammy’s teddy bear, even in such a dangerous time, foreshadows how later she will continue to carry around “useless” items like books. The novel shows how these “useless” items end up being not so useless after all, as they help Cassie to survive by reminding her of her humanity and what she’s fighting for.
Themes
