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Symbols
The Mysterious Benedict Society takes place in a world plagued by The Emergency, a non-specific and all-encompassing threat that drives the public to mass panic, and which symbolizes how authoritarian forces can utilize wide-scale deception as a political tactic. In the midst of the Emergency, citizens distrust their governments, and news reports provoke hysteria by reporting that everything is “desperately out of control,” from pollution to school systems to the weather. People clamor for a drastic improvement, but no one clarifies what improvement is needed. This vagueness is intentional—the Emergency has been created by Mr. Curtain, who sows fear with the mind-controlling messages he transmits to the world. Though the Emergency appears to be a state of chaos, that chaos has actually been carefully manufactured so that Mr. Curtain can seize governmental power by promising to usher in “the Improvement.” Mr. Curtain manipulates the public into believing their governments have lost control so they will welcome his control, even if it grants him absolute power.
The Emergency Quotes in The Mysterious Benedict Society
The The Mysterious Benedict Society quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Emergency. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
The newspaper that morning had been filled with the usual headlines, several of them devoted to what was commonly called the Emergency: things had gotten desperately out of control, the headlines reported; the school systems, the budget, the pollution, the crime, the weather…why, everything, in fact, was a complete mess, and citizens everywhere were clamoring for a major––no, a dramatic––improvement in government. “Things must change NOW!” was the slogan plastered on billboards all over the city (it was a very old slogan)….
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Chapter 21
Quotes
“No one seems to realize how much we are driven by FEAR, the essential component of human personality. Everything else––from ambition to love to despair––derives in some way from this single powerful emotion. Must find some way to make use of this.”
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The Emergency Symbol Timeline in The Mysterious Benedict Society
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Emergency appears in The Mysterious Benedict Society. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...their books, even those meant for older children. The newspaper is full of articles about the Emergency , a state of chaos that has overtaken the world.
(full context)
Chapter 5
...human brains. These messages have a powerfully negative effect, and they are the source of the Emergency . He remarks that he has been unsuccessful in learning who sends the messages and...
(full context)
Chapter 28
...once he names himself Minister and Secretary of all The Earth’s Regions (M.A.S.T.E.R) and ends the Emergency . Reynie realizes Mr. Curtain created the Emergency as the first step in this plan....
(full context)
