The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) Guilt Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter, Paragraph)

Quote #4

I look at the knife again, sitting there on the moss like a thing without properties, a thing made of metal as separate from a boy as can be, a thing which casts all blame from itself to the boy who uses it. (26.101)

One of the ways that Todd's guilt is represented is with the knife. The knife has the power to kill, and Todd struggles to separate this from the fact that he's actually the one who controls the killing. He may also use the knife as a scapegoat—telling himself that it's the knife that kills, not him.

Quote #5

And (no no no no no) I see the fear that was coming from his Noise—

And there's nothing left for me to throw up but I heave anyway—

And I'm a killer—

I'm a killer— (23.93-96)

Todd has a huge wave of guilt after he kills the Spackle. So though he's been told the Spackles are the bad guys, it seems like he instinctively understands this isn't true. Instead, it's the men who kill the Spackles who are bad.

Quote #6

"Go ahead, Todd," Aaron says and I swear I smell the dankness of him. "Cross over from innocence to sin. If you can."

I've done it," I say. "I've already killed."

"Killing a Spackle ain't killing a man," he says, grinning away at how stupid I am. "Spackles are devils put here to test us. Killing one's like killing a turtle." He widens his eyes. "Cept you can't do that neither now, can you?" (29.84-86)

Aaron pushes Todd's guilt buttons. Todd already feels like a killer, but Aaron is making his guilt about the Spackle seem meaningless and he's tempting him to commit a direct act of murder. Todd's already guilty and confused enough, and the lines of guilt around killing are becoming even more blurred.