50 pages • 1 hour read
J. L. EsplinA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“But I didn’t expect something like this. I didn’t expect a choice between getting my brother to Brighton Ranch alive or helping two complete strangers. And the worst part is that Stew is right. He’s exactly right. Dad would do both.”
When John faces the choice between leaving Will and Cleverly or inviting them to come on their journey, Stew reminds John that their dad would find a way to bring the brother and sister. This demonstrates the care for others Mr. Lockwood instilled in his boys and relates to the theme that Difficult Situations Reveal Character. Stew and John must fight to survive, but not at the cost of failing to care for others. Esplin uses repetition to create emphasis and dramatic tension: “[…] Stew is right. He’s exactly right.”
“I avoided looking at him directly—maybe I didn’t think it was a big deal to turn our state flag into a curtain for my bedroom window, but my dad did. And there was nothing worse than the feeling that I’d disappointed him.”
John continually flashes back to the morning his father left town, when he scolded John for using the state flag as a curtain. This corresponds to the immense pressure John feels to fill his father’s shoes, and to not fail his dad or Stew. John’s panic attacks are often brought on by John’s memory of the exchange with his dad about the flag, and he struggles to breathe as he navigates his feelings of fear and pressure.
“It’s weird but you never notice how much noise electricity generates until everything shuts off at the exact same time. And I’m not talking about the big stuff, like a movie blaring on the television, or the second round of popcorn popping in the microwave. I’m talking about the stuff in the background; the stuff you didn’t even realize was making so much noise. The whirl of an overhead fan, the whoosh of the air conditioner, the soft buzz of a refrigerator. Whirl, whoosh, buzz, all coming to a stop at once. Creating the most complete silence you’ve ever heard.”
Esplin draws attention to the relationship between electricity and sound: “Whirl, whoosh, buzz.” Through imagery and onomatopoeia, where words sound like the sounds they are associated with, she emphasizes the way people often don’t notice the evidence of electricity. This underscores the idea that people often don’t appreciate electrical devices until they’re gone.
“I’m not sure how long they plan to walk behind us, debating their options, but right now it feels like there is this invisible rope around my waist and that I’m pulling them with it. It’s already wearing me down mentally.”
John’s thoughts demonstrate the heaviness he feels. Being the group leader takes a mental and emotional toll on John, but he does not pause to sort out his feelings. John’s need to carry the burden of leadership alone drives a wedge between he and Stew and causes tension between them. Esplin uses a simile, where something is compared to something else using “like” or “as,” to describe John’s leadership and the weight it carries: “[…] right now it feels like there is this invisible rope around my waist and that I’m pulling them with it.”
“I’m kind of shocked. Stew can be a stubborn jerk when he wants to be, but he’s not an idiot. He’s annoyingly brilliant for an eleven-year-old, in fact. He wanted my attention, and now he’s got it.”
When Stew chugs a half-canteen of water, John knows Stew isn’t stupid. Instead, Stew is forcing his brother to listen and take the detour to the reservoir. Stew wants recognition from John that he isn’t helpless and should get to contribute to John’s decisions. Since both brothers are stubborn, he chooses to get John’s attention in a dramatic way. The short, simple sentences and casual language—“stubborn jerk”—are in line with the way a 13-year-old would speak.
“I ran back to my room and got dressed. I didn’t care how hot it was. Next time we had a visitor ‘checking on folks in the area,’ I’d be wearing pants, good running shoes, and a shirt that would conceal my dad’s gun.”
After Clayton’s first visit to the Lockwood’s house, John resolves not to be caught unawares again. He blames himself for failing to handle the situation well, which adds to the pressure he’s feeling. John’s thoughts also reveal his willingness to take action. He isn’t afraid to carry his father’s gun for protection and makes a plan instead of dissolving in fear.
“And it wasn’t that I didn’t have any more terrifying thoughts, thoughts of jumping up, attacking this jerk who was holding a gun to my head, holding my dad’s gun to my head. But I also felt something deeper. A deep need to survive what was happening, for my brother to survive what was happening. And we did. We stayed there on our knees. We survived the night.”
Survival becomes John’s top priority when he and his brother are threatened at gunpoint during the robbery. He tells Stew that everything will be ok, and this gives him a sense of calm amidst the moment’s terror. John’s flashback demonstrates his strength and resilience. Here, we also see Esplin’s use of repetition to create a sense of drama and emphasis (see bolded words):
“And it wasn’t that I didn’t have any more terrifying thoughts, thoughts of jumping up, attacking this jerk who was holding a gun to my head, holding my dad’s gun to my head. But I also felt something deeper. A deep need to survive what was happening, for my brother to survive what was happening. And we did. We stayed there on our knees. We survived the night.”
“Once a person starts ignoring normal laws that they used to follow, it becomes easier and easier to break other laws, and next thing you know, you’re doing something crazy, something you’d never thought you’d do. Like robbing kids at gunpoint.”
John recognizes that one small choice can lead to other, bigger choices, especially when people are feeling desperate. Following laws, however, small, during a crisis is a sign that a person is trustworthy and hasn’t sacrificed moral standards. Esplin makes the point that bad circumstances don’t give people an excuse to ignore basic laws and morals.
“‘I’ll tell you who could kick butt against an entire zombie horde,’ Stew says. ‘Our dad. He’s really strong, and he can figure a way out of pretty much anything. Right, John?’”
Stew’s admiration for his dad is evident in this quote. Esplin shows how much the boys respect and look up to Jim Lockwood. Jim’s strength and intelligence are traits that his sons notice and prize, and they both want to emulate him.
“It means we can do hard things because we’re made of hard-core awesomeness. If we get knocked down, he expects us to get back up and keep going. Because we’re Battle Born.”
Stew explains the meaning of the motto “Battle Born,” which recurs as a motif relating to resilience. Stew and John’s father taught them to persevere despite failures and setbacks. Perseverance become necessary for the boys during the long power outage and the journey to Brighton Ranch. “Battle Born” also serves as a club name for Stew, John, Cleverly, and Will, and bolsters them to stay strong.
“I give Will a sideways look. He was supposed to be the one to slow us down. But he’s staying right beside me, widening his stride to match mine. It’s almost as if having that backpack to carry has given him superpowers or something. A second wind.”
John is surprised to find that instead of slowing the group down, Will is keeping up with the fast pace John sets. This moment marks Will’s character transformation from the weakest of the group to a helpful contributor. As soon as he takes the responsibility of carrying Stew’s pack, Will feels a sense of usefulness; he has the drive to not only keep up, but to be helpful.
“I listen to the sound of the gravel crunching beneath our feet. My stride is different from hers, a bit longer, but every once in a while, our steps fall into perfect sync, an even crunch, crunch, crunch, before falling out again.”
Cleverly and John learn more about one another as they walk to the reservoir together. Esplin’s description of the sound their steps make uses onomatopoeia—“crunch, crunch, crunch—” and conveys symbolic meaning. Just as their footsteps match, John and Cleverly share similar characteristics: initiative, bravery, and grit. However, they also have different traits, and these differences make them a good team.
“‘John,’ Cleverly says. She does that a lot. Just says my name out of the blue like that. It makes my heart do this weird little flutter every time.”
Esplin hints at a romantic attraction between John and Cleverly. Instead of having John say directly that he has a crush on her, he describes physical sensations, such as his fluttering heart. Although the novel never states whether the two begin a relationship, Esplin suggests that they are well-suited to one another, and the chemistry between them adds tension to the plot.
“I can smell dampness in the air now, see the trees around the reservoir and hear the strange, noisy buzz of cicadas in their branches. The volume is almost deafening. They sound like electricity, like a high-voltage electric fence. Ironic, if you think about it.”
Esplin highlights the change in the air through imagery as John and Cleverly approach the reservoir. In particular, she describes the sounds of cicadas, and highlights their electric-like sound, which is “ironic” considering the power outage and lack of electricity. Later, when John and Cleverly make a run toward the campsites, the cicadas’ buzzing covers the sound of their footsteps on the gravel.
“They shared everything. My grandma said that’s how it’s done out here. That’s the point of being self-reliant. It’s not so you can keep everything for yourself. It’s so you can help yourself and others. Both.”
Cleverly describes how her family cares for others and share supplies in times of crisis. Her family illustrates The Intertwining of Self-Reliance and Community. Instead of becoming paranoid and selfish, Cleverly’s grandparents share what they have and make sacrifices for the sake of their neighbors—the whole aim, Cleverly says, “of being self-reliant.” Cleverly’s family is an example of those who do not sacrifice their morals in times of duress.
“She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t get why I’m so angry. She doesn’t know what it feels like to kneel next to your brother and feel his shoulders shake. Hear him cry, when he never cries—not even when he broke his wrist in gym class last year. She doesn’t understand that Clayton Presley may not have pulled the trigger that night, but he might as well have.”
Esplin hints that the robbery put Stew in life-threatening danger. Although the reader does not know yet that Stew has diabetes, Esplin shows that he was deeply affected by the robbery and has not been the same since. Once she reveals that he has diabetes, the reasons for his depression become clear, and the reader realizes he faces the real possibility of dying in the next day or so.
“There’s something about the way he’s staring into that fire, listening to static. Like he’s lost. Like he doesn’t remember where he’s headed or what his purpose is anymore. Like he doesn’t care if those flames eat him up. And he reminds me of someone. Stewart, the night we were robbed, and almost every moment since. Stew walks around with that same look on his face, as if there’s no reason to be here anymore, and he’s just going through the motions, waiting for everything to end.”
John’s observations of Clayton Presley demonstrate that Clayton is not the evil villain John imagined him to be. Even though he was wrong to steal from the Lockwoods, Clayton is evidently struggling mentally and feels guilt for his actions. Esplin shows that Stew is also struggling, but not from guilt; Stew’s emptiness stems from facing the possibility of death. Stew’s conscience is clear. Even though Stew’s situation is more dire that Clayton’s, he has not resorted to hurting others for the sake of self-preservation. In this way, Stew and Clayton foil one another; they both wear similar expressions and are struggling yet have acted different morally.
“Cleverly is saying something, but the only thing I understand right now is that I can’t breathe. I’m trying to take in air, but nothing happens. My lungs have stopped working. They’ve seized up, like an elephant is sitting on my chest.”
John experiences panic attacks in which he struggles to breath. These attacks are brought on by fear and the pressure he feels to be responsible for his brother in his father’s absence. John should take the attacks as signs that he needs to slow down or ask for help, but he does not heed them. Esplin demonstrates the way fear and excessive pressure can have both mental and physical effects and suggests that asking for help is a way to reduce those effects. She also uses a simile, comparing the tightness in John’s lungs to “an elephant […] sitting on [his] chest.”
“We’re going to be on our own for a while. Yeah I know, But we’re not completely alone, John. We have each other.”
John flashes back to the third day of the blackout, when the boys realized their father couldn’t make it home. At this point, they were working as a team, leaning on each other for support. After the robbery, however, John takes the lead and stops asking for Stew’s input. This drives a wedge between the brothers.
“And without even meaning to, I suddenly felt myself in my brother’s position, felt the things he might be feeling. My chest constricted with the pain of it, with the overwhelming sense that they’d taken something more than his insulin. His humanity? His worth?”
After the robbery, John sees the situation from his brother’s point of view, and the grief overwhelms him. Esplin provides a glimpse into Stewart’s mental state since his insulin was ruined. John is unable to stay in Stew’s shoes for long, which is part of the problem. He replaces empathy with the determination to save his brother and stops considering his brother’s point of view.
“Stewart isn’t telling me he can’t go on because he wants to give up. It isn’t because he wants to die. He’s telling me that he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter. We aren’t in the same situation. We aren’t fighting the same battle. I finally agree to do what he’s been asking me to do all along.”
This quote marks a turning point in John’s character growth. He finally understands Stewart’s perspective, and that makes all the difference in how he makes decisions. Esplin shows that asking for others for their opinions and taking their point of view seriously is essential for being in a leadership role. Again, Esplin uses repetition to create tension and emphasis, repeating “wants” and “We” at the beginning of two sentences.
“Soon, the physical pain becomes my only relief from the pain of what I’m feeling inside. I’ve got to make up for this massive mistake. I’ve got to feel as terrible on the outside as I do on the inside.”
John punishes himself for falling asleep during the trek to Brighton Ranch and allows the physical pain to subsume his guilt. His self-blame reveals the responsibility he feels for his brother’s fate. His willingness to keep going despite the pain demonstrates his grit and determination. To create drama, Esplin repeats “I’ve got to” at the beginning of the last two sentences.
“I know Stewart didn’t change at all. He stayed exactly the same. His character stayed exactly the same.”
Esplin highlights the way different people respond to duress through John’s comparison of Nate to Stew. While Nate is willing to turn on his friends, Stew is unwilling to sacrifice his moral values, and convinces John to help Cleverly and Will, complete strangers, even though it will diminish their provisions. Again, Esplin uses repetition: “exactly the same.”
“Feelings rush back to me. Will standing up on the bumper of that truck. Cleverly holding out the canteen, insisting I take it. Neither or them had to stay behind. But both of them did.”
John finally realizes that he and his brother are not alone. They have new friends who are willing to sacrifice their best interests for Stew’s. Through John’s reflection, Esplin highlights the importance of friendship and community; no one can expect to be successful going at it alone in either a crisis or in life. Esplin uses sentence fragments instead of full sentences, emulating the “rush” of John’s feelings: “Will standing up on the bumper of that truck. Cleverly holding out the canteen, insisting I take it.”
“Stew’s okay because he has you, and you’re okay because you’ve got him.”
Jim Lockwood’s words close the novel by highlighting that Self-Reliance and Community are Intertwined. He knows the bond between his sons will help them through the power outage, and that neither of them are alone. Even though John rejects Stew’s help for the majority of their journey, he learns that he needs to listen to and depend on his brother to keep them both alive.