Family Theme Analysis

The 5th Wave is a novel about characters who have all experienced tremendous loss in their families—and who are willing to do whatever they can to protect the family that they have left. Characters like Megan and Crisco, who have no family left, often seem lost, with little to live for. Cassie, meanwhile, tries to infiltrate a large alien camp all to rescue her little brother Sammy, because Sammy is all the Cassie has left of her family. Sammy becomes Cassie’s reason for living, highlighting the importance of close, loving connections, particularly biological connections. Sammy’s teddy bear, which Cassie carries as a reminder of her commitment to her brother, symbolically suggests this importance, and the thought of being able to return the bear to her brother motivates her to keep going and searching for him.

However, The 5th Wave also highlights the importance of deceased family members and chosen family. Ben’s family seems to all be dead, but the memory of his sister, Sissy, appears to him during times of danger. Although Sissy isn’t physically with Ben, her memory motivates him to persevere when things get tough. Further, Ben’s commitment to protect others—his chosen family—stems in part from his guilt about not being able to protect Sissy. This is why Ben ends up feeling so protective of young Sammy, whom Ben knows as Nugget. Although Sammy is not biologically Ben’s family, Sammy becomes someone Ben can protect, which helps both Sammy and Ben: Sammy is rescued, and Ben continues to push forward and fight for what he believes is right. Similarly, the lonely alien Evan falls in love with Cassie, taking care of her in his farmhouse as if she was a family member. Evan’s compassion for Cassie causes him to reject his job of killing humans as a Silencer, and he comes to prioritize his budding romance with Cassie over his loyalty to the other aliens. In the case of all the main characters, family, chosen or otherwise, is so important that it becomes the root motivation of almost all their actions. The 5th Wave thus portrays what it suggests is a natural human inclination to form and protect families—and how this inclination provides necessary support and motivation to persist in the face of immense challenges.