The City of Ember: Chapter 20 Summary & Analysis

The woman writes that they leave tonight. It feels like a shock, and she wonders why she agreed to this—she’s too old to start a new life. She writes that though they told her to not bring books or photographs, and to never speak of this place again, she’s determined to record what happens to her. The next day, she writes about taking a train and saying goodbye to the fields and houses she calls home. Three men met her at the train station and now, she’s in a room of other elderly people. The plan is supposed to ensure that there will always be humans on Earth. Some people aren’t sure that will ever happen, but the woman writes that disaster seems close. She also notes that this plan is proof that people think the world is doomed.

The woman says that scientists and engineers have made an incredible effort on this project, but she’s certain their efforts would’ve been better spent elsewhere. She thinks this is the wrong answer, and she’s not sure why she agreed to join. She’s one of 100 people over 60 who will start this project. They’re all strangers and will be paired up and given two babies to care for. The babies can’t know of this world. The woman writes that the babies are arriving and being passed out. Later, she resumes her account and says that she’s on a bus with boarded windows, next to a man named Stanley. They named their babies Star and Forest. By the time Star and Forest are about 20, the woman and Stanley will be dead.

The next day, the woman writes that the buses are stopped. It smells like the countryside outside. She thinks they must be going underground, but that prospect fills her with dread. Later, she writes that they called everyone off the buses. She silently said goodbye to the grass, the animals, and the moon. Then, they herded everyone down a long path that opened out onto a pool where motorboats were waiting. The woman asked her pilots if people will return this way. The pilot explained that the people will have instructions, and he suggested that people always find a way through.

The account ends there. Lina and Doon wonder if the woman left her book on purpose, or if someone made her leave it. They note that they wouldn’t have found it—and discovered that they came from this beautiful place—if it weren’t for Poppy. As the light moves up in the sky, Doon muses that this land doesn’t look like it’s experienced a disaster. They wonder if there are people around and Lina thinks that the city the woman came from must’ve been a lot like Ember: dying and dangerous, with people arguing over solutions. Lina and Doon wonder if there’s another way back to Ember, so they spend their day searching for another way into the ground.

When the circle is high in the sky, Lina and Doon sit down in the shade while Poppy naps. They can see a gray line in the distance and wonder if it’s a road. They hear something in the brush and hold their breath as a rust-red creature about Poppy’s size steps out. It studies Lina and Doon like it knows them, and then the creature wanders toward the bushes and picks up something round and purple. It runs away. Lina exhales that the creature was amazing. Doon says that he knows now that this is where they belong.

Poppy wakes up, so Lina feeds her the last peas. Lina and Doon discuss what the creature had and note that it looked like an oddly colored peach. Doon picks one, cuts it open, and discovers a stone inside. He, Lina, and Poppy eat several and resume their exploration. They find a crack in the hillside and squeeze through. They creep forward until they reach a sheer drop. Down below, they can see lights—it’s Ember. Lina can hardly believe that Ember is at the bottom of a hole. They wonder how to communicate with Ember, but they realize they can send their message. At the top, they scribble a note saying that they made it and it’s okay. They then tie it to a rock and hurl it down. As Mrs. Murdo walks across the square, something hits the ground in front of her. She picks it up.