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Chapter 63
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
Ben wakes up again in a hospital bed. Vosch is there, and he comments how unlikely it was that a close-range shot did so little harm to Ben. Ben tells a version of the truth: that Ringer shot him. Ben claims he was defending Reznik’s role in the mission, and that’s why Ringer turned on him. In fact, his whole squad, not just Ringer, “went Dorothy” on him. He claims that he took out Flintstone, although in reality, he just shot Flintstone’s corpse in the head to cover up the evidence of how he died due to the chip.
Ben’s decision to go back to Camp Haven and lie directly to Vosch—despite the mapping technology they have there—shows both bravery and recklessness. Ben uses the same techniques that Vosch used on him, telling a version of the truth but distorting key details. Ironically, then, Ben did learn some useful lessons training at Camp Haven, just not the ones Vosch intended.
Themes
Ben says the others cut out their trackers and he only let them take out his to play along. After that, he shot Flintstone, got wounded by Ringer, and headed to the evacuation point. Vosch says Ben is leaving out part of the story. He shows Ben a device like the one Reznik had and asks if Ben wondered why Reznik had a device with a kill switch. Ben says it makes sense—Reznik needed a back-up plan in case anyone “went Dorothy.”
Ben’s story shows both careful planning and a good ability to improvise—the same skills he was developing as a leader on the battlefield. Just as both Ben and Cassie learn that violence is sometimes necessary to survive, the honest Ben learns that sometimes lying is another important survival skill.
Themes
Vosch is impressed the Ben resisted following his comrades. Ben flashes back to when he was initially explaining his plan to his squad mates. They didn’t understand why he had to injure himself, but he says it’s because he wanted to be taken to the hospital first, instead of being taken straight to do a Wonderland procedure. In the present, Vosch tells Ben that it’s time for Wonderland.
Although Ben’s story about turning against his squad may be implausible, it is also flattering to Vosch, who believes he trained Ben so well that Ben betrayed even his trusted squad mates. Ben turns his vulnerable situation into a strength, showing once again ow difficult situations can make a person resilient.
Themes
