What’s Up With the Epigraph?

Epigraph

Part 1

"I was never going to amount to much anyway, but now, statistically speaking, there's a better chance that some part of me will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless."—Samson Ward

Part 2

"You can't change laws without first changing human nature."—Nurse Greta

"You can't change human nature without first changing the law."—Nurse Yvonne

Part 3

The BBC has spoken to mothers from the city of Kharkiv who say they gave birth to healthy babies, only to have them taken by maternity staff. In 2003 the authorities agreed to exhume around 30 bodies from a cemetery used by maternity hospital number 6. One campaigner was allowed into the autopsy to gather video evidence. She has given that footage to the BBC and Council of Europe.

In its report, the Council describes a general culture of trafficking of children snatched at birth, and a wall of silence from hospital staff upwards over their fate. The pictures show organs, including brains, have been stripped—and some bodies dismembered. A senior British forensic pathologist says he is very concerned to see bodies in pieces—as that is not standard post-mortem practice. It could possibly be a result of harvesting stem cells from bone marrow.

Hospital number 6 denies the allegations.

Part 4

The following is a response from eBay with regard to a seller's attempt to auction his soul online in 2001.

Thank you for taking the time to write eBay with your concerns. I'm happy to help you further.

If the soul does not exist, eBay could not allow the auctioning of the soul because there would be nothing to sell. However, if the soul does exist, then in accordance with eBay's policy on human parts and remains we would not allow the auctioning of human souls. The soul would be considered human remains; and although it is not specifically stated on the policy page, human souls are still not allowed to be listed on eBay. Your auction was removed appropriately and will not be reinstated. Please do not relist this item with us in the future.

You may review our policies at the following link: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/remains.html

It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for choosing eBay.

Part 5

[Southwest Arizona] serves as an ideal graveyard for airplanes. It has a dry, clear and virtually smog-free climate that helps minimize corrosion. It has an alkaline soil so firm that airplanes can be towed and parked on the surface without sinking…

An airplane graveyard is not just a fence around airplane carcasses and piles of scrap metal. Rather, many millions of dollars' worth of surplus parts are salvaged to keep active aircraft flying…

—Joe Zentner, "Airplane Graveyards," desertusa.com

Part 6

For your ease and peace of mind, there are a variety of harvest camps to choose from. Each facility is privately owned, state licensed, and federally funded by your tax dollars. Regardless of the site you choose, you can feel confident that your Unwind will receive the finest possible care from our board-certified staff as they make their transition to a divided state.—From The Parents' Unwinding Handbook

Part 7

"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us… Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."—Albert Einstein

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."—Albert Einstein

What's up with the epigraph?

Neal Shusterman seems to be collecting epigraphs the same way the Admiral collects his son's body parts. Let's tackle each, one by one.

Part 1

This quote is by an extremely minor character in the book who lives in Risa's state home. It shows us that some kids have accepted their status as Unwinds—not all of the characters are like Connor and Risa, running and rebelling.

Part 2

To continue fostering debate, Shusterman shows us the opposing opinions of two nurses. The Bill of Life doesn't seem to have solved everything the way people thought it would.

Part 3

This grim story is true, and maybe it was the inspiration for Shusterman's story. It definitely shows the darkest side of this whole Unwinding thing, if it were true.

Part 4

In this part, Connor and others debate the existence of a soul, but none of them state it as succinctly as eBay does in this real-life response to someone selling his soul. Bart Simpson must have tried again online.

Part 5

This real-world quote sets the scene for the Graveyard, the setting for this part of the book. It also uses the phrase "surplus parts are salvaged," which in a way is what the Admiral is doing by protecting all the kids here.

Part 6

This fictional epigraph gives us the a glimpse of the hypocritical handbook that puts parents at ease…with the fact that their child is being murdered. Pardon us, "transition[ing] to a divided state." That sounds pleasant.

Part 7

Here Shusterman seems to be saying that Albert Einstein would find this whole Unwinding thing awful. He believes we should have compassion for "all living creatures," even annoying teenagers.