'Symbolism In Neal Shusterman's Unwind'

“The moment you’re loved, that's when you got your soul” (Shusterman 174). Neal Shusterman, the author of Unwind, grew up in Brooklyn, where he began writing at an early age. Shusterman wrote Unwind with the intention to “point out the fact that there are two sides on all of these gray area issues” (Shusterman); he wanted people to look at issues like abortion, storking, and unwinding with a different perspective. Shusterman uses setting, point of view, characters, theme and symbolism to depict that every life is important no matter the age. The setting of the book Unwind takes place in the future after the second Civil War. The different places in the book include Akrin, Ohio, Joplin, Missouri and the deserts of Arizona. “The second civil war, also known as “The Heartland War ,” was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue” (Shusterman). Shusterman uses this setting to show the reader that this is how society changed over time beginning up these medical practices. This book's point of view is third person omniscient because it offers varied perspectives of the main characters-Conner who loves Risa and loves to hate Lev; Risa, who loves Conner but worries about Lev; and Lev who hates …show more content…
However, the Admiral uses it to save a great number of Unwinds, putting them to work until they reach the age of eighteen. The Graveyard is a symbol of safety and opportunity for the Unwinds. Here the Unwinds are safe from capture, and they do not need to run away, as they would in the outside world. Unwinds also have the opportunity to work and gain skills they will need after they enter the real world at the age of eighteen. Ironically, a place where dead planes rest is now bringing life to hundreds of people. “All around them, everywhere, are airplanes, but there’s no sign of an airport-just the planes, row after row, for as far as the eye can see” (Shusterman