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Chapter 30
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Knife of Never Letting Go, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Cost of Violence
Information vs. Knowledge
Bigotry and Misogyny
Humanity’s Connection to Nature
Summary
Analysis
Todd has never used a boat before, but he’s lucky that the water seems to be pretty calm. His plan is to have Manchee carry the burning stick somewhere upwind of Aaron, to make Aaron think Todd has set up camp there, while Todd sneaks around from the other side to free Viola. He knows it’s a difficult plan, but he doesn’t want to have to resort to his backup plan, which is using the knife on Aaron.
This chapter shows that Todd has learned something important about his knife. It’s not just a matter of using his knife or not using it: Todd learns to think outside of this false choice and consider other strategies for rescuing Viola. Todd begins to learn that true growth is not necessarily abandoning his knife, but that growth instead might mean considering the full complexity of the moral choices the knife represents.
Themes
The plan seems to work, as Manchee manages to draw Aaron away from his campsite, believing Todd will be there. Todd finds Viola and is relieved to learn that she’s alive, although she is groggy from being heavily drugged. She thinks she can’t move, but she eventually manages to get to her feet, just as Manchee comes darting out of some bushes. All three of them head toward the boat in the river.
After being misled by visions of Aaron in the forest, Todd realizes how to use misdirection to his own advantage. This chapter seems to celebrate the power of ingenuity over brute force, but the next passage will complicate that issue.
Themes
Everything is a blur as Viola manages to get into the boat, but Todd gets caught by Aaron. Manchee leaps at Aaron and manages to rip off his nose, but this leaves Manchee stranded over on the shore with Aaron while the boat begins to drift away. Aaron says Todd has a choice between Viola or Manchee. But the boat is already going too far away. Aaron snaps Manchee’s neck, and the boat goes on. Todd begins to lose track of what’s real.
Manchee’s death marks a major turning point in the story as it loses perhaps its most comic element and becomes darker. Todd learns that sometimes no amount of ingenuity is able to stop an evil force as powerful as Aaron, and this knowledge is so upsetting to Todd that it, combined with his disease, makes him pass out to escape having to deal with it.
Themes
