Patrick Ness’s novel The Knife of Never Letting Go is about settlers from an Old World who travel across space trying to escape the violence of their home planet, only to create a new society full of violence in the New World. At the center of the story is Todd, who always carries a knife with him, and who constantly grapples with the question of whether he’s able to kill another human—and whether or not he would be justified if he did. The leaders of Todd’s settlement, Mayor Prentiss and the preacher Aaron, run a violent cult that requires boys to kill a man so that they can become adults. They both have a strange charisma and seem to be able to convince even people in rival settlements to join their growing army. Their cult represents the seductive power of violence and how committing one violent act can make it easier for a person to continue using violence in the future.
But while the villains of the story encourage violence, being a hero isn’t as simple as just avoiding violence. Cillian, for example, proves his love for Ben and Todd by holding a violent last stand against Mayor Prentiss’s men. Similarly, the kind and caring Hildy is willing to take up her rifle and fight when her home settlement faces an invasion. At the climax of the story, when Todd faces the choice of whether or not to kill Aaron, Viola intervenes, killing Aaron first to save Todd from becoming a killer himself. All of these heroic characters harbor regrets about either the violence they’ve committed or the violence they’ve been unable to stop, and yet because they live in a violent world, they often have no choice but to use force to protect themselves and the ones they love. The Knife of Never Letting Go illustrates how all violence—even supposedly justified or necessary violence—takes a terrible toll on those who commit it, and ultimately suggests that there’s a difference between committing violence and embracing its allure.
The Cost of Violence ThemeTracker
The Cost of Violence Quotes in The Knife of Never Letting Go
Ben reaches behind his back and unclasps something. He wriggles it for a second or two before it comes unlatched completely. He hands it to me. It’s his hunting knife, the big ratchety one with the bone handle and the serrated edge that cuts practically everything in the world, the knife I was hoping to get for the birthday when I became a man. It’s still in its belt, so I can wear it myself.
“Take it,” he says. “Take it with you to the swamp. You may need it.”
Aaron turns, not even fast like, just turns like someone’s called his name. He sees me standing there, knife in the air, not moving like the goddam coward idiot I am, and he smiles and boy I just can’t say how awful a smile looks on that torn-up face.
I shove the map back inside, slam the cover shut and throw the book on the ground.
You idiot.
“Stupid effing book!” I say, out loud this time, kicking it into some ferns.
A shadow steps into the far doorway.
Matthew Lyle.
And his Noise is saying, Ye ain’t going nowhere, boy.
“I don’t think we’re safe anywhere,” I say. “Not on this whole planet.”
“If they’d told me, Prentisstown would’ve heard it in my Noise and known that I knew. We wouldn’t’ve even got the head start we had.” I glance at her eyes and look away. “I shoulda given it to someone to read and that’s all there is to it. Ben’s a good man.” I lower my voice. “Was.”
And (no no no no no) I see the fear that was coming from his Noise–
(No no no, please no.)
And there’s nothing left for me to throw up but I heave anyway–
And I’m a killer–
I’m a killer–
I’m a killer–
(Oh, please no) I’m a killer.”
There’s a knife-shaped hole all the way thru and out the other side. The knife is so sharp and Aaron must be so strong that it’s hardly ruined the book at all. The pages have a slit running thru them all the way thru the book, my blood and Spackle blood staining the edges just a little, but it’s still readable.
And I raise the knife higher–
And I aim it at his heart–
And he’s still smiling–
And I bring the knife down–
And stab it right into Viola’s chest.
“No!” I say, in the second that it’s too late.
And Aaron wrenches his arms and there’s a CRACK and a scream and a cut-off yelp that tears my heart in two forever and forever.
And the pain is too much it’s too much it’s too much and my hands are on my head and I’m rearing back and my mouth is open in a never-ending wordless wail of all the blackness that’s inside me.
And I fall back into it.
And I know nothing more as the river takes us away and away and away.
Doctor Snow turns to Ben. “And though I do believe you’re just a man out looking for his son, the law’s the law.”
Oh, son, there’s so much wonder in the world. Don’t let no one tell you otherwise. Yes, life has been hard here on New World and I’ll even admit to you here, cuz if I’m going to start out at all it has to be an honest start, I’ll tell you that I was nearly given to despair. Things in the settlement are maybe more complicated than I can quite explain [...] it was hard enough even before I lost yer pa and I nearly gave up.
But I didn’t give up. I didn’t give up cuz of you, my beautiful, beautiful boy, my wondrous son who might make something better of this world, who I promise to raise only with love and hope and who I swear will see this world come good. I swear it.
It’s saying Not you–
And Viola’s raising her arm–
Raising the knife–
And bringing it down–
And down–
And down–
And plunging it straight into the side of Aaron’s neck–
“Welcome,” says the Mayor, “to New Prentisstown.”