Summary (pg 191-248):
-The ooloi began imprinting on couples
-All they have to do is stay civilized because after they are with the ooloi, they are allowed to go to the “training room”
-Once in the training room all hell breaks loose
-Some of the humans believe that they are on Earth and decide they want to escape
-Joseph ends up dying but Lillith is going to have his baby girl
This is a very interesting and suspenseful ending. I didn’t think Joseph would die, I also assumed Lillith was going to be able to return to Earth, but that didn’t happen. Once Joseph died, I thought in the back of my mind that she would probably have his kid, it was a little predicable. It reminded me of Pearl Harbor, after one of the main characters dies in war, his girlfriend has his child.
One theme I noticed a lot in the last part of this book was human nature. Wikipedia says that human nature is the concept that there are a set of characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that ALL humans have in common. Human nature is something we really can’t change, it is like our DNA, its something we always have and can’t really change. In the beginning of the book it is said that humans are hierarchical and intelligent.
Lillith: All along she has had a human nature, even though some believe she isn’t even human. From the beginning, she wanted human contact that is something all of us long for. One thing I did notice was that Lillith doesn’t really ever say she longs for sex while most of the other humans do. Lillith has also constantly longed for knowledge; she wanted to know everything and everything that was going on with her. I also felt like a lot of Lilliths darker human nature side came out in the end. She wanted to see Curt suffer and she also kept thinking about how it was all about learning and running when she could.
Humans:
Since about half way through the book the “male” human nature has definitely come out. All any of them really think about is sex, especially when first awakened. At one point one of them actually considered raping a woman. I guess sex is just human instinct for us.
The true human nature of everyone seems to come out while in the training room. This is when everyone is at the most raw moments. Curt for instance is a male who likes to be in control… “He’s not in control even of what his own body does and heels. He’s taken like a woman and…Someone else Is pushing all his buttons.”(pg203)
Gabe and others show a lot of doubt which is common, who doesn’t have their doubts? “I don’t take the next step until I see where I’m standing now. You know I still don’t believe this isn’t Earth.” (pg204).
I know I have doubt just like anyone else. You can really blame Gabe; everything in the room looks, smells, and feels like Earth.
Another characteristic of human nature I noticed in the section and many others is the act of using others for your own good. Gabe and the other escapees are confronted by Lillith when she figures out they probably invited her just for her knowledge. “You thought I might be useful! You thought you’d eat better and be better able to survive out here.” (pg215). I would probably do the same thing; it’s in my nature to pick the most knowledgeable person on a subject for my team. The Oanklai I feel do this some too. They only seem to get what they want out of the humans for their own benefit.
Questions:
If you were Awakened from a long sleep, what would be your first instinct?
How would you act if there were no real laws and no one intervening?
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