Unwind

by

Neal Shusterman

Admiral Dunfee Character Analysis

An elderly war veteran who runs the Graveyard in the Arizona desert. For much of the novel, he’s known simply as the Admiral. He’s a cunning man with a stare that makes others uncomfortable and a knack for manipulating people and earning their trust. Though his operation to smuggle and save Unwinds from their fate gives some, like Risa, a sense of purpose, many kids don’t like the Admiral. Many, including Roland and Connor, suspect that the Admiral is profiting off of the kids whom he sends off on work calls, and possibly that he unwinds kids when he decides he wants one of their body parts. Kids believe this because the Admiral is scarred and has teeth that clearly aren’t his own. However, when Connor gets to know the Admiral, he learns that the suspicious teeth are actually dentures and that the Admiral is a far more complex person than Connor gave him credit for. In actuality, the Admiral is driven by grief and guilt over his son, Harlan, whom he unwound about 10 years before the novel begins. He channels his energy into saving Unwinds in order to atone for unwinding Harlan. He does so while looking for the individuals who received Harlan’s body parts, ultimately uniting them all at Harlan’s birthday party at the end of the novel. After suffering a heart attack, the Admiral turns over operations at the Graveyard to Connor and retires to his ranch in Texas.

Admiral Dunfee Quotes in Unwind

The Unwind quotes below are all either spoken by Admiral Dunfee or refer to Admiral Dunfee. 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:
Inequality, Injustice, and the Law Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2  Quotes

“Please, Miss Ward. It’s not dying, and I’m sure everyone here would be more comfortable if you didn’t suggest something so blatantly inflammatory. The fact is, 100% of you will still be alive, just in a divided state.”

Related Characters: Risa Ward, Admiral Dunfee, Headmaster Thomas
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

The days begin to pass quickly, and before she realizes it, she’s been there a month. Each day that goes by adds to her sense of security. The Admiral was an odd bird, but he’d done something no one else had been able to do for her since she’d left StaHo. He’d given her back her right to exist.

Related Characters: Risa Ward, Admiral Dunfee
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

“The Admiral’s out of touch,” he would say. “He doesn’t know what it’s like to be one of us. He can’t possibly understand who we are and what we need.” And in groups of kids he’s already won over, he whispers his theories about the Admiral’s teeth, and his scars, and his diabolical plans for all of them. He spreads fear and distrust, using it to unite as many kids as he can.

Related Characters: Roland (speaker), Connor Lassiter, Admiral Dunfee, The Teacher/Hannah, Sonia
Page Number: 219
Explanation and Analysis:

“Then we proposed the idea of unwinding, which would terminate unwanteds without actually ending their lives. We thought it would shock both sides into seeing reason—that they would stare at each other across the table and someone would blink. But nobody blinked. The choice to terminate without ending life—it satisfied the needs of both sides. The Bill of Life was signed, the Unwind Accord went into effect, and the war was over. Everyone was so happy to end the war, no one cared about the consequences.”

Related Characters: Admiral Dunfee (speaker), Connor Lassiter, Emby
Related Symbols: The Bill of Life
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis:

“Of course, if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened...but people like to keep what’s theirs, even after they’re dead. It didn’t take long for ethics to be crushed by greed. Unwinding became big business, and people let it happen.”

Related Characters: Admiral Dunfee (speaker), Connor Lassiter
Related Symbols: The Bill of Life
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s only because of his unwinding that you’re all here. Afterward, my wife left me and formed a foundation in Harlan’s memory. I left the military, spent several years more drunk than I am now, and then, three years ago, I had The Big Idea. This place, these kids, are the result of it. To date I’ve saved more than a thousand kids from unwinding.”

Related Characters: Admiral Dunfee (speaker), Connor Lassiter, Harlan Dunfee
Page Number: 225
Explanation and Analysis:
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Admiral Dunfee Quotes in Unwind

The Unwind quotes below are all either spoken by Admiral Dunfee or refer to Admiral Dunfee. 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:
Inequality, Injustice, and the Law Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2  Quotes

“Please, Miss Ward. It’s not dying, and I’m sure everyone here would be more comfortable if you didn’t suggest something so blatantly inflammatory. The fact is, 100% of you will still be alive, just in a divided state.”

Related Characters: Risa Ward, Admiral Dunfee, Headmaster Thomas
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

The days begin to pass quickly, and before she realizes it, she’s been there a month. Each day that goes by adds to her sense of security. The Admiral was an odd bird, but he’d done something no one else had been able to do for her since she’d left StaHo. He’d given her back her right to exist.

Related Characters: Risa Ward, Admiral Dunfee
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

“The Admiral’s out of touch,” he would say. “He doesn’t know what it’s like to be one of us. He can’t possibly understand who we are and what we need.” And in groups of kids he’s already won over, he whispers his theories about the Admiral’s teeth, and his scars, and his diabolical plans for all of them. He spreads fear and distrust, using it to unite as many kids as he can.

Related Characters: Roland (speaker), Connor Lassiter, Admiral Dunfee, The Teacher/Hannah, Sonia
Page Number: 219
Explanation and Analysis:

“Then we proposed the idea of unwinding, which would terminate unwanteds without actually ending their lives. We thought it would shock both sides into seeing reason—that they would stare at each other across the table and someone would blink. But nobody blinked. The choice to terminate without ending life—it satisfied the needs of both sides. The Bill of Life was signed, the Unwind Accord went into effect, and the war was over. Everyone was so happy to end the war, no one cared about the consequences.”

Related Characters: Admiral Dunfee (speaker), Connor Lassiter, Emby
Related Symbols: The Bill of Life
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis:

“Of course, if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened...but people like to keep what’s theirs, even after they’re dead. It didn’t take long for ethics to be crushed by greed. Unwinding became big business, and people let it happen.”

Related Characters: Admiral Dunfee (speaker), Connor Lassiter
Related Symbols: The Bill of Life
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s only because of his unwinding that you’re all here. Afterward, my wife left me and formed a foundation in Harlan’s memory. I left the military, spent several years more drunk than I am now, and then, three years ago, I had The Big Idea. This place, these kids, are the result of it. To date I’ve saved more than a thousand kids from unwinding.”

Related Characters: Admiral Dunfee (speaker), Connor Lassiter, Harlan Dunfee
Page Number: 225
Explanation and Analysis: