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The seed that Clary gives Lina and the worm that Doon raises into a moth both represent Lina and Doon as they move from the darkness of Ember to the light aboveground. All of Ember’s residents are, in a sense, akin to the seed and the worm: they haven’t yet become what they’re supposed to be, given that the Instructions that detail how to leave the city and complete humanity’s foray underground have been lost. As Lina and Doon decipher the instructions—and, at the same time, as the seed sprouts and the worm emerges from its chrysalis as a moth—Lina and Doon solve the mystery and, just like the sprout and the moth, find themselves with the knowledge of how to leave Ember for the world aboveground, where they can grow and flourish in the light.
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The Seed and the Worm Symbol Timeline in The City of Ember
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Seed and the Worm appears in The City of Ember. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...he’ll know things that no one else knows. Changing the subject, he asks about the worm.
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...his room and he and Doon’s father peer into it. It contains a small, green worm with stubby legs and some cabbage leaves. Doon has always loved bugs and keeps a...
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Chapter 4
...sure if Ember is really the only light in the world. Clary pulls a bean seed out of her pocket. Rhetorically, she asks how the seed knows how to turn into...
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...door somewhere that leads to it. Clary isn’t sure about this, but she plants the seed in a pot and gives it to Lina. She says that somehow the seed is...
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Chapter 9
...Lina’s room, she feels self-conscious as Doon looks around at the pot with the bean seed, her disorganized messes, and her drawings of the imaginary city on the wall. Doon asks...
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Chapter 12
...misunderstood something. As Doon reaches for the handle, his mind is on Lina and his worm, which has been acting oddly and hanging from the side of the box. Doon startles...
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Chapter 13
...and agrees to come home with Lina. In Lina’s room, Clary notices that the bean seed sprouted. Lina is surprised; she hadn’t noticed. She’s thrilled. Clary pores over the Instructions and...
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Chapter 15
Doon pulls out the box with the worm inside to check it. A few days ago, the worm bundled itself up, hanging from...
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