How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[Lev] knew he was a tithe from the time he was little. (1.3.41)
This is one of the main reasons Lev sees being unwound as a noble sacrifice, and Connor is running from it. Connor's parents keep it from him, but Lev is told from the time he can communicate, making it easier for him to adapt to and rationalize for himself.
Quote #2
And so, battling his own instinct for self-preservation, [Connor] races toward the kid in white who was so happily going to his own unwinding. (1.4.3)
Connor never quite understands why he tries to save Lev, and he's potentially sacrificing his own freedom by trying to do so. Why do you think Connor takes this risk?
Quote #3
It's no use trying to explain to this godless pair what tithing is all about. How giving one's self is the ultimate blessing. They'd never understand or care. (1.6.26)
A lot of the idea of making a sacrifice comes from Lev's religion. We never get the idea that Connor's parents are religious, which is another reason he sees it as offensive, whereas Lev and his family see it as a blessing.
Quote #4
Then, feeling the coldness of the steel against his fingertips, he pulls the fire alarm. (2.15.45)
Lev is so desperate to be caught that he makes the decision to sacrifice Connor and Risa's freedom for them. He might think he's doing a good thing, but he isn't.
Quote #5
Connor had risked his life to save Lev, just as Connor had done for the baby on the doorstep. Well, the baby had been saved, but Lev had not, and although he knows he can't be held responsible for Lev's unwinding, he feels as if it is his fault. (3.23.3)
Here Connor takes another risk, but this one is a little more understandable. He thinks that by sacrificing some of his freedom to save the baby, he's repaying a cosmic debt his family incurred years ago.
Quote #6
"So you're a tithe! That's great. You don't even know how great that is." (5.35.25)
The group of clappers believes in making the ultimate sacrifice—that's why they're suicide bombers. And that's why they think it's great that Lev is a tithe. He's been prepared to die for a long time.
Quote #7
"Prudhoe Bay, Alaska," Cleaver says. "You'll be working on an oil pipeline until you're eighteen. From what I hear, it's one of the coldest, most brutal places on Earth. But, hey, it's a way out, right? I need three volunteers." (5.36.56)
The jobs offered at the Graveyard work calls are an example of how each kid has to weigh out how much of his or her life and comfort he or she is willing to sacrifice in exchange for freedom.
Quote #8
It's a big comfort to know that their lives will continue even after he's gone. (6.57.24)
Lev's sacrifices have always had a purpose. As an unwind, he knew his organs would be put to good use, and as a clapper, he hopes his death will save others.
Quote #9
Mai enters the storage room and closes the door. And waits. She will do this, but not quite yet. Let one of the others go. She refuses to be the first. (6.65.13)
Wow, the clappers may talk big, but when it comes to performing the actual deed, they're suddenly scared of making the sacrifice. What gives?
Quote #10
[Lev] fumbles with it until he finds the detonators. He peels the backs, revealing the adhesive, and sticks them to his palm. They look like stigmata, the nail wounds in the hands of Christ. (6.65.53)
In the story of the crucifixion, Christ dies to absolve everyone else of their sins. Lev sees himself in much the same way: His death is a sacrifice that will allow others to live.