In a book about the end of the world, you can expect to see a lot of death. This particular alien apocalypse has wiped out more than seven billion people, which is almost everyone. Almost.
The scale of that tragedy is no joke, and its impact is taken very seriously in The 5th Wave. At the same time, the story flirts with the idea that all this death is really nothing new. Sure, it's unusual and sad and terrible that everyone's dying at once. But at the end of the day, weren't all those people going to die anyway? That's what happens when you're human. The Others didn't invent mortality.
Cassie and Ben come to that realization separately, and it's interesting to watch them process it. When Ben contemplates his inevitable death, he feels defeated. Cassie, on the other hand, seems to draw strength from it. If she's going to die either way, what does she really have to lose?
Questions About Mortality
- Which death do you think impacts Cassie the most: the death of her mother, her father, or the Crucifix Soldier? Explain your answer.
- Whenever possible, Cassie tries to avoid killing other characters. Why is preserving life so important to her?
- How does the alien apocalypse help the human characters come to terms with their own inevitable deaths?
Chew on This
In The 5th Wave, knowing you're going to die is source of despair. It means that nothing really matters.
In The 5th Wave, knowing you're going to die is a source of empowerment. It means you have nothing to lose.