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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Unwind, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Inequality, Injustice, and the Law
Anger, Violence, and Radicalization
Activism, Compassion, and Atonement
Morality and Perspective
Summary
Analysis
Risa sees the police and knows this is Lev’s fault. She focuses on Didi. The teacher, Hannah, shushes Connor and asks for Didi, telling Connor and Risa to walk out with everyone else. Risa sees the genius of this: without a baby, they don’t stand out as much. In the hallway, a policeman stops Alexis because she fits Risa’s description. Risa continues past and sees Hannah pull out her car keys. Suddenly, she hears Lev behind them yelling their names. Risa and Connor run, but fire trucks block their path. Risa stops him and they both begin to clap. Thinking that Risa and Connor are clappers, Kids look at them in horror, scream, and run away in a panic. Hannah finds them and hands Didi over. She tells them to go to an antique shop in town and ask for Sonia.
Despite Lev’s honest intentions here, he still puts his friends in a great deal of danger by doing this. His choice to yell likely stems from a combination of his anger and confusion with Pastor Dan, as well as his fear for his friends—which suggests that at this point in Lev’s life, his anger and his sense of compassion are competing for space in his head. This situates Lev in a position where anything could tip him to one side or the other, depending on what happens to him next.
Themes
