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Chapter 5
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
It’s easier to hide from the Others at night, but the daytime is dangerous because of the drones that showed up during the 3rd Wave, seemingly sent by the Others to watch humans. Cassie travels by day. It’s unnervingly quiet without the sound of civilization, which Cassie calls the Hum.
The feeling of always being watched further contributes to Cassie’s trust issues. Cassie’s decision to travel by day suggests that she is willing to face her problems head on, rather than in the secrecy of night, showing her bravery and straightforward personality.
Themes
Cassie remembers 10 days after the Arrival when the Hum died. She was in school when all the electronics, even battery-powered ones, stopped. Cassie was sitting next to her friend Lizbeth, who wondered aloud if this was the end, the apocalypse. She told Cassie that Cassie should just confess her love to Ben Parish before the end comes. Cassie went home and her dad tried to reassure her, but Cassie feared that the destruction of all the electronics was a clear sign that the aliens were dangerous.
This passage show how fragile human society is, specifically due to people’s dependence on electronic devices. Cassie has to learn how to survive without the modern conveniences that she has gotten used to having. Lizbeth’s suggestion for Cassie to confess her love to Ben Parish shows how people continue to care about everyday things like crushes even during the apocalypse—in fact, these things might become even more important as a way to hold onto normalcy and human connection.
Themes
