Authoritarian Future

Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a book which relies heavily on it's setting to set the mood of an authoritarian future where children do not have the most divine right of all: life. The theme of authority in this novel is used to have the young adult reader (whom this book is directed at) to feel empathy for the characters involved, because many teenage youths can parallel themselves with this type of society, just not such an extreme level. An authoritarian society is one where decisions are made for others while showing a lack of concern for them. Unwinding is something which is extremely authoritarian because it does not give the "unwind" an opportunity to live a full life, not matter how mediocre or troubled it is. The parents are given the authority to decide how their own children's lives (or storked children) are going to end. The authoritarian theme also goes further than just the parents and government, but through an unwind, Roland. Roland is always trying to be the leader of everyone, whether it is breaking up the groups that seemed to threaten his power or when he begins spreading rumors about the Admiral so he can take over as the dominant figure in the "Graveyard." His power hungrey mentality eventually ends up being his demise as he eventually is unwound. Another example of authority not working out is through the Admiral and the Harlan (Humphree Dunfee) urban legend. We eventually find out that Harlan was actually the Admiral's son who was unwound. The Admiral tries to reconcile his decision by starting the Graveyard and helping others youths from being unwound. This shows his authority as a parent over his son did not end up as a good result, making him regret his decision to unwind Harlan. A theme screaming through the pages in this book is authority and how terrible it can be when people are left in control of other peoples lives.