War
War is a theme of the novel. The children of the North rebel so that they do not have to fight a war with the South. They are against killing anyone and want to find a solution where lives are not lost. They understand the connection between people and nature and know that they must help the adults in the North to reconnect with nature. To do this they must negotiate with the South to allow the people of the North to cross the wall.
The South is not willing to go back to the destruction of nature that happened when the people of the North populated the natural world. They built the wall to keep them out so that nature could revive and thrive. War is inevitable and the children must allow it to happen in order to save the people of the North and the South.
Unity
Unity is a theme of the novel. The children of the North unite to save the people and to attempt to prevent a war that they feel will only cause more harm to a fragile world. The children want to be able to live in the South with the natural world around them instead of in the concrete jungle of the North and to obtain this they must rebel against their own government and unite in a force that cannot be stopped by the North or the South.
The unity of the children shows the North that their children are competent to lead the negotiations against the South and they will not make the mistakes of their parents. They respect nature and will not allow it to be destroyed. It shows the South that they are a formidable force and they will do what they must to make the future better for everyone not just the rich of the South.
Class distinction
Class distinction is a theme of the novel. The rich trick the poor people into leaving their homes and settling in a concrete jungle in the North. They blame these people for the destruction of the natural world so cut them off from it. In the South, nature is allowed to thrive and prosper, and the people prosper with it.The people in the North are surrounded by concrete and a feeling of despair.
The poor of the North live in horrible housing, while the people in the South live in mansions. The North lives on processed foods, while the South has fresh produce and meats. Disease is rampant in the North and those in the South are healthy. The people in the North are angry and hostile, while the people in the South are happy and content.
The story shows how class distinction can affect many aspects of life. It can affect emotional and physical health. It can also affect how one views the world around them. These distinctions are harmful to the people and leads to war.
Nature
Nature is a theme of the novel. The people in the South live prosperous happy lives because they are surrounded by nature and have allowed nature to prosper. The people will do anything to keep their land safe from the people they feel caused the devastation to the world leaving the natural world on the verge of collapse. They tell the people that there is an animal plague and the people move to the North in a world surrounded by concrete and no nature. A wall is built supposedly to protect the people from the plague. In actuality, it is to keep the people in the North from harming nature any further. Those left in the South allow nature to thrive and take over the landscape.
The people in the North are plagued by floods that bring diseases and loss of homes. They feel that there is something missing from their lives and they are not happy. They have a disconnect from nature and it affects them with negativity. When they discover that they were tricked in leaving their homes in the South and that the land on the other side of the wall is fertile with animals and plants, they plot to take back their land. People must feel a connection with nature and the natural world around them to live happy and productive lives.
Genocide
Genocide is a theme of the novel. When Rubin escapes from the fortress, he goes in search of Mal Gorman. He feels that Gorman is like himself – he has no sympathy for the people of the North and only wants to obtain a future of himself. His plan is to let the war begin so that Raphael Mose will poison the North killing everyone in the North and then he can kill everyone in the South and have the world for himself and Gorman.
The plan of the South to save their way of life is to kill everyone in the North whom they tricked to leave their land in the South and migrate to the concrete jungle of the North. The rich people in the South will do anything to keep the poor in the North. The last resort is to poison everyone, but it will be done if they feel their way of life is threatened. This genocide will kill the poor of the North and leave the people in the South to continue to prosper.
