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Chapters 38–40

Summary: Chapter 38, June

Thomas timidly questions June in the basement of the Batalla Hall about a missing electro-bomb. June responds that she didn’t steal it, but Thomas points out that the theft was done meticulously, and June is the only one he knows who would be capable of such a precise job. Just then, the bomb goes off. June realizes the Patriots, to whom she gave the bomb, have arrived in time. Thomas tries to shoot June, but the electro-bomb has disabled his gun. June cuts off the building’s power and rushes to rescue John and Day. She sees on the monitors that the Patriots are raining down money on the crowds. John and Day fight off the guards, but Day is still dazed from being hit on the head. John offers to sacrifice himself to buy June and Day more time to escape. Kaede and the Patriots are waiting outside to take them away on motorcycles. 

Summary: Chapter 39, Day

Day wakes up on a rooftop on the outskirts of the Republic. June is injured in the corner. She explains what happened but points to a JumboTron so he can learn the rest. The JumboTron shows footage of an execution. Day is horrified to see it is his brother John, with his head covered, who is being shot. June convinces Day that John willingly sacrificed himself so that Day could save their brother Eden. June and Day embrace and Day collapses into tears. 

Summary: Chapter 40, June

A recent hurricane begins to die down. Day and June have made it to Barstow, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where they take refuge in an abandoned railcar. They decide to go to Las Vegas, where Tess is, to make sure she is all right. Then they will head to the war front to rescue Eden. Day tells June she’s crazy for staying with him. They kiss. When June asks Day about his street name, he explains he chose the name Day to remind him to take every day one day at a time and to always walk in the light. 

Analysis: Chapters 38–40 

In the final chapters, it is John who is shown to be the heroic figure in the novel. John makes the virtuous and honorable act to sacrifice his life to save Day. Earlier, Day is in anguish when his mother is shot. Jameson orders Thomas to shoot Day’s mother because Day is unwilling to negotiate with her and she didn’t want to “waste all day” trying to get him to turn himself in. While this is a highly cruel and unnecessary act on her part and a clear perversion of power, it still suggests that Day’s stubbornness and over-rebelliousness in part contributed to his mother’s death. He was outnumbered by officials and was not going to overcome or escape them. Regardless of whether Day’s actions were morally inclined, and against the evil of the Republic, the novel suggests he still had a price to pay for his rebelliousness and the way he went about fighting the Republic. That price came in the form of his mother’s and brother’s lives. John has always acted with virtue, prudence, and honor, protecting his family at all costs. In the end, John’s sacrifice will make it even more important for Day to carry out his mission in the future. Day’s future attempts to take down the Republic now carry even more meaning and urgency.

The ending also gives the reader a chance to better understand the names the author has chosen for the book’s characters. Day’s younger brother, Eden, is named for a garden where all that is essential for a good life is plentiful and where innocence prevails. The author may be suggesting that, with Eden having survived, a better future is possible for those now living in the Republic. Day’s chosen name, too, carries a strong message that life is precious and walking in “the light,” or truth and goodness, is the only way to live. From dawn to dusk, the day is also constantly changing, just like Day himself, who roams from place to place and is essentially homeless. This adaptability and spontaneity, along with Day’s strong sense of morality, make him an able leader who can light the way for others. Day’s name symbolizes how he shows those around him the light of the truth and brings them out of the darkness of ignorance. That is what he accomplishes for June. Finally, June’s name as well becomes a symbol of light, as the summer solstice occurs in June when the sun is at its highest. June has always been the Republic’s highest “show” of honor since she was the Republic’s most famous student and citizen.

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