1/3 of Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Tara Crisafulli

FYSM
Prof. Harden

            The future is something that some people may fear due to the unknown, while others embrace it. Within Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, a very clear picture of the future is painted. The route the author takes while doing this is a very unique one. When dealing with ideals about the future, the most common outcome is something along the lines of the Jetsons.  Flying cars and robot maids do not have a role with in this novel. Shusterman has created a world in which the morals of society have changed. This society finds things such as unwinding, storking, and harvest camps as acceptable. These main points within society today would be extremely controversial; storking and unwinding are equivalent to abortion and murder, and harvest camps are similar to concentration camps.

            The three main terms within this novel as stated before are unwinding, storking, and harvest camps. To unwind some is to fill an order for a child's soul to be separated from its body. After the body is separated from the soul, the body parts are sent on to be used as organ donations. This is done in the hope that the child's body parts will do them more justice then they would have done as a whole. Essentially, these children are being killed and their body parts used. The unwinding occurs at places referred to as harvest camps. Along with this very odd cultural sacrifice, parents often stork with in Shusterman's society. Storking is an act in which a mother who usually is not in the state to take care of her child gives up the baby. The mother will pick a door step, where she will then leave the child. By law the family who receives the baby is now legally responsible. If the mother is caught in the act of storking, by law she has to take the child back.

            Growing up in a society with such beliefs is very frightening. At any moment if a child says or does the wrong thing, the parent can decide to have them unwound. In Connor's case it was a buildup of events over time that pushed his parents to have him unwound. Connor was that child in school who had a large attitude, loved to pick fights, and found loop holes out of various situations. When he found the order stating the fact that he would be unwound, he of course had many feelings. One major thought was derived from anger, sadness, and fear; he had to run. Connor had devised a plan to run from the juvey cops, which he knew would not give him a lot of time. He had seen many other children run from being unwound, and all of them where caught. In this young man's mind, he had no other choice, so he ran. Along the way he had picked up to other unwinds, Risa, and Lev.

            Risa, and Lev had two very different cases compared to Connor. Risa was not being unwound due being a misfit; she was ward of the state. Risa had grown up in a State Home and was raised with a purpose like any other child in the home. She had been studying the piano for years, and that was her purpose. After fumbling over a couple of notes in a recital, she was called into the main office for a meeting. Within this meeting, Risa was informed that she was being unwound, because she has already reached her potential. Due to the lack in space with in the home and the number of children it housed, the adults had no choice but to fill the order to have Risa unwound.

            Both Risa and Connor were not aware of the fact that they would be unwound until the order had already been filled. On the other hand, Lev was informed that he would be unwound at a very young age. Lev was what they would call a tithe; being tithed is a religious sacrifice of a child. Lev's parents knew before he was born that they would unwind him as a sacrifice to God. With religion being a large part of Lev's life, he seemed to understand emotionally and physically what was going on. It was not until later in the book he realizes that he is completely alone, and he starts to question his own purpose in life.

            Now, you may be asking yourself, what exactly do these three children have to do with each other? Well here is how it all started. Connor, ever rebellious, decided to run from the Juvey cops and stow away in kind rig driver's cab. Due to the fact that he forgets to turn off his phone, he has a close run in with his father and the cops. After Connor runs across numerous lanes of traffic causing many accidents and dodging tranquilizer bullets, Lev final comes into play. As a distraction from the police, Connor reaches into a crashed car and grabs Lev. He then continues to use him a shield, eventually causing Lev to be hit by a tranquilizer. Connor throws him over his shoulder, and then runs off into the woods. In front of the woods is a bus that has rolled over, causing a flood of kids to emerge from the vehicle, one of which is Risa. The bus had been in route to the Harvest camp. Risa was grabbed by Connor too, and the three continued into the woods. Within the span of forty-eight hours, the three proceeded to knock out a cop, acquire a baby (after saving it from being stroked), and cause a school evacuation.

            After staying the night in the woods, the three children make their way to civilization. The first order of business was to find new clothes for them to wear. Risa had put on a very convincing act; she told a very unpleased woman that she was a part of a fundraiser for school and was wondering if she would like to donate clothes. No longer than 5 minutes later, Risa received a bag of clothes along with some canned food. After the boys had changed their clothing, they were on their way as there wasn't anything that was acceptable for a girl to wear. As the three were walking down the street a cop car had pulled up. Of course Lev, being unwillingly torn away from his tithing by Connor, does not know whether to yell for help or to keep walking. Risa and Connor see a bus that they could use as a cover up until the police leave. As they are stepping on to the bus, Connor realizes that the house across the street has been storked. Then distracted by the young baby, Connor goes over to save it. Due to prior experiences with storking, Connor does not feel comfortable leaving the baby behind.

            Connor wanting to save the baby now complicates things even more. Risa of course steps up to take care of the child, but that is not the problem. The problem is that they have to way to feed the poor child.  Without taking any of this into account they take a seat on the bus, now three teenage kids with a newborn baby. Once they make it to the school they decide that they have no choice but to enter. Connor, knowing he was around almost anything in a school, brings the newfound family to a bathroom to hide for the time being. Within the first two periods, they hide in the stalls. During this time Connor shares the story to why he felt compelled to save the storked baby, and Lev makes a run for it. When Risa decides to switch stalls, and realizes that Lev is no longer there.  This is where everything makes a drastic turn.

            Lev waited for the bell to ring so he could open the door without being heard and made a run for it. He then has someone direct him to the office where he explains to the woman what has been happening. Still being resentful of the fact that Connor and Risa interrupted his tithing and essentially kidnapped him, he sells them out. Of course, the administrators call the police, and Lev is offered a call to his parents. Shockingly, Lev decides not to contact his parents but Pastor Dan instead. This is when he learns that his parents did not send out a team of police to look for him. Pastor Dan had convinced them that this had to be a part of God's plan. Lev suddenly feeling completely alone, confused, and angry decides to take action. Finally realizing that Connor and Risa were right, he runs. Lev made one very smart move which may have complicated things, but at the same time helped the others in the end; he pulled the fire alarm. A sea of kids had flooded the fall way in a very unorganized, frantic matter. Hannah, a teacher with in the school on her way out, realizes that Connor, Risa, and the baby are hiding in a classroom. She comes to realize that they are not students, but she is willing to help them.

            In the craze of everyone running around, Hannah takes the baby from Risa so the police no longer recognize her. On the way out they get separated, and when Lev yells Risa's and Connor's names, he gives them away. As a distraction Risa and Connor pretend to be something called a clapper, which causes even more chaos with in the sea of people. Hannah finally finds them within the crowd and gives the young baby back. She then tells them to make their way to a store in town and ask for Sonia.

            Little did they know Sonia was running an underground railroad for unwinds that were lucky enough to make it this far, and she lets them stay in the basement of the shop for a couple days. The basement consisted of a bathroom, main room, and back room. The back room was given to Risa and the baby, the rest stayed in the main room. There were three others that had been there for a couple days before Risa and Connor had arrived. Their names are Mai, Roland, and Hadden. After a couple days with in the basement, each child has an appointment with Sonia. She has them each write a letter to  someone they love; a last good bye. Sonia has them put it in an envelope and puts the date of their 18^th birthday on the back. If they do not come back a year after this date, the letter will be mailed, assuming that they died. Around a day later Sonia they tells them that the “ice cream man” is here for them. They are lead upstairs in the dark, and there is an old ice cream truck parked outside. This truck is filled with other unwinds trying to run. Hannah then shows up to take the baby from Risa. Hannah had discussed it with her husband, and they decided to take care of her.

            As the children pile into the stone cold truck they question where they are being taken. The answer to that question is never really answered. As Connor and Risa move on to the next stage in their adventure, they become closer. This is due to the fact that the only thing that they have to hang onto is each other.