Previous
Chapter 41
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
Viola breathes heavily as she and Todd both reflect on what just happened with Aaron. Todd says he was ready to kill Aaron himself, but Viola doesn’t say much for a long time. At last, Viola says that even though she didn’t want to kill Aaron with the knife, she had to do it to stop Aaron from winning (by getting Todd to do it). Then she rethinks it and says actually a part of her wanted to kill Aaron.
Although this is a moment of victory for Viola and Todd, it’s not a time for celebration, partly due to Viola’s injury and partly because they had to use violence. Even the death of a dangerous enemy like Aaron weighs heavily on Viola’s conscience, showing how even in situations where it may be justified, violence can have severe consequences.
Themes
Both Todd and Viola are injured as they make their way out of the cavern toward Haven. Suddenly there’s a sound, and Viola gasps. Blood starts coming out of her stomach. They look up and realize Mr. Prentiss Jr. has shot her. Mr. Prentiss Jr. comes up closer and taunts Todd. He orders him to put his hands up. But Todd surprises even himself by refusing to do what Mr. Prentiss Jr. says.
Todd and Viola’s victory over Aaron becomes even more hollow as Viola is gravely wounded. This passage emphasizes the difficulty of overcoming violence and how killing one enemy might simply lead to others popping up.
Themes
Mr. Prentiss Jr. threatens to shoot Todd, but Todd ignores him and runs right toward Mr. Prentiss Jr. Todd sends a blast of Noise toward Mr. Prentiss Jr’s horse and it rears back. While Mr. Prentiss Jr. is trying to regain control of the horse, Todd punches him across the face. Mr. Prentiss Jr’s pistol falls to the ground, but as Todd is about to go for it, Viola calls his name, and Todd goes to her instead. She’s on the ground and thinks she’s dying, but Todd picks her up and says she’s not dying yet.
Todd has already confronted the violence of his past in Prentisstown, and now, against Mr. Prentiss Jr., Todd confronts the lies of Prentisstown. Just as everything Todd learned about Prentisstown is a lie, Mr. Prentiss Jr. has built his own reputation on lies about his own toughness. Todd takes a risk by challenging an opponent with a gun, but his success shows that Todd can see through Mr. Prentiss Jr.’s lies, perhaps even better than Mr. Prentiss Jr., who may be lying to himself.
Themes
Todd runs with Viola for Haven, rushing through scrub in order to take the most direct route. As he gets closer to the settlement, he screams for someone to help him, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone around. Viola struggles to stay awake. Todd realizes that he left all his belongings behind, including his Ma’s journal, so all he has now is Viola. He begins begging for anyone to help.
Todd now holds Viola instead of his knife, showing how instead of getting strength from violence, he now gets it from his relationships with other people. He had the choice to pick up Mr. Prentiss Jr.’s pistol to replace his knife, but he instead decided to do everything he can to help Viola. While this is a positive development, Todd is racing against the clock to save Viola’s life, and their situation is desperate.
Themes
Get the entire The Knife of Never Letting Go LitChart as a printable PDF.
All of a sudden, a voice says that he’ll help Todd. Todd realizes with horror that it’s Mayor Prentiss. Todd thinks it’s impossible that the army already made it to Haven, but Mayor Prentiss says he rode ahead, and the rumor of the army was enough to win a surrender from Haven. Todd realizes he can’t hear Mayor Prentiss’s Noise or anyone’s. He promises to do anything to save Viola, but the mayor ignores him. Mayor Prentiss announces that actually, he’s now the President of the whole planet. He welcomes Todd to the planet’s capital, New Prentisstown.
The ending of the book is a major cliffhanger that reflects the book’s status as the first part of a trilogy. Todd is devastated to learn that not only was Haven not what he hoped, but it was in fact the exact opposite of his hope—it ends up being exactly like Prentisstown. The ending of the book drives home how difficult it can be to escape the forces of violence that Mayor Prentiss represents, but the fact that Todd and Viola are still alive leaves hope that will continue to oppose this violence and potentially even overcome it in the coming books.
Themes
