Family

Neal Shusterman’s science fiction novel Unwind there are many issues, such as storking, the process of unwinding as well as that of family.  I’m going to address the theme of family used throughout the entire novel and it affects each of the main characters.

The traditional role of the family is deconstructed in this novel.  From mothers being able to stork unwanted children by leaving them on a stranger’s doorstep, to parents deciding they no longer want their adolescent child and having them unwound as well as the lack of a family unit for some of the characters such as Risa.  The lack of a true sense of family strengthens bond between the main characters, Connor, Risa and Lev.

Connor’s family decided that they no longer wanted to continue raising him since he had repeatedly caused trouble.  This goes against our society’s belief of family, as the behavior should be addressed and corrected with the idea of living happily ever after.  In Unwind, Connor’s family believed that since he was causing too many issues that it would be much easier to just unwind him rather than have to deal with the behavioral issues.  They also decided to treat themselves to a vacation afterwards in order to help them deal with the guilt from having their child being cut apart, which is not something that is seen in our society as something a normal family would do.

Lev was born into a large family, being the tenth child it was decided his fate would be as a tithe prior to his birth.  Lev believed only the best of his family prior to his adventure with Connor and Risa, however throughout the novel Lev slowly begins to realize what his life really meant.  In the beginning Lev believe his unwinding would be respectable and that it would bring him religiously closer to God, however by the end of the novel his beliefs had dramatically change.  When the novel ended Lev had come to the realization that the only family member who had truly loved him was his older brother and that Pastor Dan, Connor and Risa cared more about his well-being than his own parents.

Connor’s love interest, Risa, came from a much different background.  She was an orphan who grew up in a state home, never knowing her parents or what a family should be like.  Although Risa followed the rules she was chosen for unwinding as a result of her reaching her fullest potential on the piano.  In the state home’s eyes she was no longer useful and it was more of a burden to continue to take care of her than it would be to have her organs ripped from her body.   Risa never had the connection to her parents like the other two, although it was apparent that they had become her surrogate family in a short period of time.

While Connor, Lev and Risa had been brought together by a series of chaotic events, their bond quickly became strong.  Despite Lev attempting to turn in Connor and Risa, they all cared for one another.  When Connor and Risa were being transported to The Graveyard they looked for Lev, hoping that he would appear and continued to do so until Lev arrived at The Graveyard.  Although Lev had decided to go rouge on the group, in the end he showed his love for surrogate family as he rushed in to save both Connor and Risa.  When the book ended Lev was in jail and his friends were at The Graveyard, however they still remained connected in some ways, as Connor announced t (the children at The Graveyard) “They know where we are and what we’re doing.  They let us stay here because they don’t see us as a threat...well we’re going to change that.”  (322) Connor and Risa are continuing their mission to make the unwinds heard which in turn could help Lev be set free, so again they are attempting to help and protect their family.