The Individual Versus The Collective

The tension between the individual and the collective is highlighted throughout the novel. Willa grows up in a clan run by the evil padaran. In order to cement his power and ensure that none of the clan members attempt to leave or desert him, he continuously tells them that none of them can survive without the clan with his favorite catchphrase, “There is no I. There is only we.” (44). Because of the padaran’s lies, Willa does not see herself as an individual with the ability to make her own choices and decisions. Though she has an independent streak that spurs her to venture out into the world to thieve on her own, she never dreams of questioning the padaran until she meets Nathaniel, and his behavior leads her to believe that the padaran has been lying about how evil all humans...