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Section 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Minority Report, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Security vs. Liberty
Fate and Free Will
Trust and Paranoia
Summary
Analysis
At the rally, Kaplan is surprised and somewhat nervous to see Anderton, but in good spirits. Having informed Anderton of his intentions to expose Precrime, he invites Anderton to sit on stage with other army officers. To the crowd, Kaplan declares Anderton’s innocence, as well as that of everyone ever detained by Precrime, explaining, “As soon as precognitive information is obtained, it cancels itself out.” After Kaplan finishes his speech, Anderton suddenly raises his gun, aims at Kaplan, and fires. In murdering Kaplan, Anderton has made the majority report correct.
Kaplan introduces a significant theoretical possibility, suggesting that every crime could be cancelled by obtaining precognitive information. Although Kaplan is really only saying this in order to discredit Precrime and accrue more power for the army, he still raises an interesting possibility, which Anderton never explicitly addresses.
Themes
