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Chapter 30
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
In the present, a hunter identified only as the Silencer has just fired at Cassie on the road with his rifle, and he waits for Cassie to come out of her hiding place. He knows who she is and has been looking for a chance to finish her because she’s the last human. He’s waiting for her to leave her hiding place in the woods. The Silencer had his Awakening four years ago but still sometimes struggles with seeing things like a human. He took a human body in order to exterminate humans.
The novel continues to jump between perspectives, showing yet again how Cassie isn’t alone but in fact part of a larger collection of characters who all come with their own motivations. This passage confirms that the Silencer doesn’t seem to be human. Still, just by being in a human body, the Silencer sometimes has human feelings, showing that as much as war and the aliens try to dehumanize people, humanity can also be a resilient force.
Themes
After waiting a long time, the Silencer sees part of Cassie crawling out. He takes aim, waiting for Cassie to run, but Cassie just stays where she is and calls out for him to come and get her. The Silencer just wants Cassie to run so that he can shoot her, but she doesn’t, confusing him. For some reason, he can’t pull the trigger, and so he runs away himself.
This passage shows that, while it’s the Silencer’s job to exterminate humans, when it actually comes down to it, he is more conflicted. The Silencer has a sense of fairness in that he only feels right about shooting Cassie if she tries to flee. This suggests that, despite his past as a hunter, he is learning to feel sympathetic toward the humans.
Themes
