Love

The novel dramatizes many harrowing examples of violence and danger, and in thematic opposition, the novel positions love as source of essential goodness to oppose such sources of darkness. This idea first subtly arises in the original connection between Callum and Ava, as a nascent sense of love is portrayed as a factor in Callum’s sense of loyalty towards Ava. After Callum discovers that the Colonel has raped Ava and has essentially made her a captive, Callum immediately decides that he must betray the Colonel and rescue Ava. As Callum begins to act on this plan, the narration notes that Callum thinks of Ava as “His Ava” (18), despite their having just met. This dynamic implicitly indicates Callum’s sense of love towards Ava, which is part of his motivation in coming to her rescuing and risking the wrath of the Colonel and the bandits.

As...