52 pages • 1 hour read

The Death Cure

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011

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Themes

Good and evil are not definable

Good and evil are traditional binary oppositions, however, no one in the novel fits into either category well. In fact, there are so many people in the gray area that it is hard to tell who is truly a protagonist and who is an antagonist. The grayness of so many characters is perpetuated by the mistrust Thomas feels for just about everyone, whether they are part of WICKED or not.

Although Janson’s unwavering desire to help others by finding a cure is overshadowed by the seemingly unnecessary tests and deaths of others, can he truly be considered evil? Despite Thomas’s position as the main character and his heroic actions at the end of the novel, can he be considered good after being so self-centered for much of the novel? Good and evil, it seems, are not definable always clearly.

Being human is hard to define

What does it mean to be human? Philosophers, authors, artists, and ordinary people alike have pondered what it means to be human across generations. In this novel, the moment you are confirmed as having the Flare, you are written off as an individual. Consider the state of the Crank Palace. It is a place created out of a kindness to keep the infected comfortable until they lose their minds, but it is a place that is in no way comfortable for the infected living there.

The infected lose faith in themselves as human beings. They know they will inevitably fall into insanity. But does insanity mean they are no longer human? Many of the Cranks, before they are truly insane, choose to brutalize others. They make themselves less than human in the eyes of their immune and uninfected peers. Is humanity something created by your actions? More likely, the novel demonstrates that “human” is indefinable.

Freedom is relative

Throughout the novel, Thomas reflects on how he had not been free prior to escaping WICKED’s compound. However, freedom is relative. He feels he is free, and therefore he acts free. Later in the novel, it becomes apparent that he is not free and has never been free. WICKED chose him as the Final Candidate because he rebelled, because he tried to free himself from every unfortunate situation. Furthermore, Thomas is used by Chancellor Paige and Brenda for the next experiment, the building of a society. Thomas, of course, is unaware that his actions have contributed to yet another restricted freedom. This begs the question, are we ever free?