Neal Shusterman’s Unwind is a novel that tells the story of a future world in which children are Unwound – that is, their organs are harvested for transplantation. The novel follows three main characters – Connor, Risa, and Lev – as they try to escape their fate.
The novel is notable for its complex and well-developed characters. Connor is a “stork” – someone who was Unwound but then escaped and has been on the run ever since. He is a brave and determined young man who is determined to fight against the system that would Unwind him.
Risa is a “ward” – someone who has been raised in an orphanage run by the state. She is a kind and caring young woman who is forced to make difficult choices in order to survive. Lev is a “surplus” – someone who was Unwound because his parents couldn’t afford to keep him. He is a gentle and introspective young man who struggles to understand the world around him.
The characters in Unwind are richly drawn and compelling, and their stories are engrossing. Shusterman does an excellent job of portraying a future world that is both frightening and believable. The novel is a thought-provoking exploration of questions about morality and the human condition. It is a must-read for fans of science fiction and dystopian novels.
In a number of novels, main characters confront the problem of redefining their personalities as their lives change and transform them. In Neal Shusterman’s Unwind, one of the major characters, Lev Calder, undergoes significant changes in personality from beginning to end. When we first come across Lev at the start of the book, he is portrayed as a naÇve, bigoted tithe looking forward to his unwinding. However, by the conclusion of the book, Lev is self-reliant and oppositional , with strong feelings against being unbound.
Unwind is Neal Shusterman’s first novel, and Lev’s development as a character is extremely well done. Through the use of flashbacks and conversations with other characters, Lev’s change in personality is gradually revealed to the reader.
One of the most important factors in Lev’s development is his relationship with Connor Lassiter. Connor is one of the main Unwinds, and he and Lev are unwound together. At first, Lev greatly admires Connor for his strength and resilience, but their relationship soon changes. As Lev spends more time with Connor, he realizes that Connor is not as perfect as he seems; he has his own doubts and fears. This revelation causes Lev to question everything he thought he knew about Connor, and ultimately leads to Lev’s own rebellion against unwinding.
Another factor that plays into Lev’s development is his conversations with Risa Ward. Risa is another Unwind, and she and Lev have a lot of conversations about life, death, and everything in between. These conversations help Lev to see things from a different perspective, and they also help him to understand his own feelings about unwinding. By the end of the book, Lev has come to realize that he does not want to be unwound; he wants to live his life on his own terms.
Lev’s development as a character is extremely well done, and it is one of the things that makes Unwind such an interesting read. Lev starts out as a character with a lot of potential, and Shusterman does a great job of fleshing him out and showing his growth throughout the book. Unwind is an excellent novel, and Lev’s development is one of the main reasons why.
Lev’s transition from a naive tithe to a rebellious clapper has significant impact on the plot, making him one of the most intriguing characters to follow. Lev’s parents throw him a tithing party for his 13th birthday. At the age of 13, he will be “tithed” or offered up in sacrifice as part of his religion. Lev believes that he is “exceptional,” remarking, “He looks just like those other kids whose parents signed away their rights to get rid of them.” That couldn’t be further from the truth for Lev. He is his family’s pride and joy.
Unbeknownst to him, his family had already signed the unwind order. He is captured by a group of people called “The Scoop,” who harvest Unwinds for their parts. While at the Harvester’s facility, he befriends a girl named Risa Ward and a boy named Connor Lassiter. The three of them hatch a plan to escape and succeed. However, their plan goes awry when Lev is recaptured by the Harvesters. Connor and Risa continue on without him, but are quickly captured by Juvey-cops.
In school, MVP in little league. He’s not an Unwind simply because he should be unwound. “Just because he’s going to be unwound doesn’t mean he’s an Unwind; it just means he’s been napped” (Shusterman 31). Lev displays his conceit and superiority as well as his sheltered viewpoint of the world by emphasizing that he is different from other children.
Being called “special” while growing up sheltered him from harsh realities about his fate and prevented him from seeing straight through his parents’ deceptions, requiring him to rely on others. When Connor kidnaps Lev, Lev faces one of these harsh truths for the first time, but instead of facing reality, he maintains his conceit and
It is hard to judge a character like Lev because of the circumstances in which he is placed. Neal Shusterman does an excellent job in creating a complex and interesting protagonist, who is not perfect, but trying to do what he thinks is right. Lev’s character arc is believable and relatable, making the Unwind series all the more compelling.
“When in the presence of Connor and Risa, he is forced to act like them, stating, “Acting like one of them-pretending to be like them took every ounce of Lev’s willpower. The only thing that kept him going was the knowledge that very soon everything would be as it should.
Unwinds are not supposed to have emotions, and when faced with the reality that he does, Lev struggles. Connor highlights this idea when he tells Risa and Lev that Unwinds “are pieces of other people. They’re Unwinds because they don’t have a choice. You do. You can be anything you want to be. Maybe even human” (Shusterman 125). Connor is emphasizing how Unwinds are not truly themselves because they are made up of other people, but Lev still has a choice in who he wants to become.
Connor is an Unwind who was scheduled to be unwound on his seventeenth birthday, but he escapes from the Harvest Camp days before his unwinding is supposed to take place. Connor becomes a runaway, which is illegal, and the Juvey-cops are sent after him. The Juvey-cops are “the juvenile authority’s version of police officers” (Shusterman 10). They are tasked with capturing runaways and Unwinds who have escaped from their facilities.
