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Chapter 79
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
Meanwhile, Cassie drops out of the ventilation system into an armory room. She dresses as a soldier and gears up with a pistol, an M16 with a silencer, and some grenades. As she leaves and goes through a corridor, she hears an explosion from somewhere else in the camp, followed by people screaming.
Although Cassie has at times felt ambivalent about violence, in this passage, she arms herself fully for combat, reflecting the reality that Camp Haven is an incredibly dangerous place for her where violence might be necessary to escape with Sammy. The arc of her character is not just about avoiding violence or accepting it, but instead about learning when each is the correct course of action.
Themes
Cassie keeps going until all of a sudden, someone tells her to halt and give her number. He’s an officer over 18, so Cassie figures he must be an alien. He notices the teddy bear in Cassie’s satchel and asks about it. As his hand goes for his weapon, Cassie fires first and kills him. Cassie leaves him there and continues to where the children are kept. She hears a voice say “Cassie” and finally sees Sammy. She hands him back the teddy bear. He rejects it at first, but only because he wants to hug her instead.
Unlike with the Crucifix Soldier, Cassie doesn’t seem to feel guilty about killing this officer. Also unlike with Branch, Cassie doesn’t have an out-of-body experience during the act of killing. This reflects how Cassie has cautiously begun to accept the idea that she may be a killer, at least in circumstances that call for it.
Themes
