Legend (Legend #1)
Chapter 5: Part One: Day 3
by Marie, Lu,The chapter opens with the protagonist, Day, experiencing a vivid dream of his childhood home. He recalls his younger brother Eden drawing on the floor, while he and John attempt to fix a broken radio—a relic from their father. Their mother, injured from scavenging, struggles to prepare dinner. The dream turns ominous as Eden’s drawings shift to depict soldiers invading their home, jolting Day awake. He finds himself in an unfamiliar bedroom, injured and disoriented, with Tess tending to his wounds. The dream and reality blur, highlighting the tension between past nostalgia and present danger.
Day’s physical pain mirrors his emotional turmoil as he grapples with the aftermath of a failed mission to secure medicine for his family. Tess informs him that some supplies reached his mother, but Eden has fallen ill with the plague. Despite the setback, Day clings to hope, relieved that the medicine bought them time. Tess reassures him, emphasizing their resilience and the possibility of future opportunities. The exchange underscores their deep bond and shared determination to protect Day’s family in a world ravaged by disease and oppression.
Their refuge is revealed to be the home of a stranger, a grieving father who lost his son to the plague. The man’s hesitant kindness reflects the pervasive sorrow of their society, yet his fear of authorities forces him to limit their stay. Tess tends to Day’s injuries, revealing cracked ribs but no breaks, while Day laments losing his weapons. The interaction with the stranger underscores the precariousness of their existence, where trust is scarce and survival depends on fleeting alliances.
The chapter closes with Tess returning silver bullets she salvaged, a small but meaningful gesture that reaffirms their partnership. Day reflects on their history, acknowledging how Tess has grown from a helpless orphan into his indispensable ally. Their quiet camaraderie contrasts with the chaos outside, offering a moment of respite. The chapter masterfully intertwines personal loss, physical pain, and fleeting hope, painting a poignant picture of resilience in a dystopian world.
FAQs
1. What is the significance of Day’s dream at the beginning of the chapter, and how does it contrast with his current reality?
Answer:
Day’s dream of his family in their home represents both nostalgia for a safer past and foreshadowing of current dangers. The dream shows his younger brother Eden drawing soldiers invading their home with a red crayon, symbolizing the ever-present threat of violence in their world. This contrasts sharply with Day’s waking reality—injured in a stranger’s house after a failed mission, having lost precious medicine and his father’s pendant. The dream’s domestic tranquility (despite his mother’s bandaged hands) highlights how much more precarious their situation has become, with Eden now actually sick with the plague and Day recovering from life-threatening injuries.2. Analyze the relationship dynamics between Day and Tess based on their interactions in this chapter. What does it reveal about their partnership?
Answer:
Day and Tess demonstrate a deeply interdependent relationship that has evolved from caretaker-dependent to mutual reliance. While Day initially protected Tess when she was a young orphan, she now tends to his severe injuries with competence, even anticipating his needs (like saving the silver bullets). Their banter (“Not so loud, cousin”/“Fantastic”) shows comfortable familiarity, while Tess’s decision to inform John about Day’s injuries reveals she prioritizes his safety over his pride. The trust between them is evident when Tess handles sensitive tasks like delivering medicine to Day’s family. Their dynamic balances practical survival with genuine care, as seen when Tess’s cheeks pinken while checking his ribs.3. How does the chapter portray the theme of sacrifice through its characters’ actions? Provide specific examples.
Answer:
Sacrifice permeates the chapter through physical, emotional, and moral choices. Day risks his life breaking into the hospital for plague medicine, enduring injuries and losing his father’s pendant. His mother sacrifices her shirts for Eden’s fever compresses despite her own bandaged hands from trash-cleaning wounds. The unnamed host shelters them at personal risk, sharing food (chili, bread) while fearing plague patrol sweeps—a gesture tied to his dead son’s memory. Even Eden tries to help fix a leak despite his illness. These acts highlight a world where survival demands constant trade-offs, with characters prioritizing others’ needs over personal safety or possessions.4. What details in the chapter suggest the broader societal conditions of this dystopian world?
Answer:
The chapter reveals a militarized, plague-ravaged society through subtle details: the broken radio once used for plague quarter alerts, the “plague patrol” conducting sweeps, and the hospital’s high security requiring stolen IDs. Scarcity is evident—people repair old items (radio, sink), repurpose clothing as medical supplies, and value canned food. The host’s fear and Tess’s caution about names suggest surveillance or informant systems. Even childhood is affected, as Eden’s crayon drawing depicts soldiers rather than playful imagery. The “warfront” mention and silver bullets imply ongoing conflict. These elements paint a picture of a resource-depleted police state where disease and violence are omnipresent threats.5. Why might the author have chosen to keep the kind host anonymous, and how does this choice impact the narrative?
Answer:
The host’s anonymity heightens the story’s tension and reinforces its themes. Not exchanging names maintains realism—in a surveillance state, identities are dangerous—while emphasizing that compassion exists even between strangers. His connection to a dead son mirrors Day’s family plight, creating thematic resonance without melodrama. This anonymity also keeps focus on Day and Tess’s journey; the host functions as a temporary sanctuary, much like the abandoned bedroom itself. The deliberate vagueness (“a man”) makes his help feel both more universal (anyone could be kind) and more precarious, as readers understand his aid could vanish as abruptly as it appeared when they leave.
Quotes
1. “When I look closer, I realize that he’s drawing soldiers breaking into our home. He’s drawing them with a bloodred crayon.”
This quote captures the ominous foreshadowing and childhood innocence juxtaposed with violence in Day’s dream. The red crayon symbolizes both the artistic playfulness of a child and the bloodshed of war, hinting at the harsh realities of their world.
2. “The medicine. My father had given me that pendant, and now I’d been careless enough to lose it.”
This moment reveals Day’s deep guilt and vulnerability after his dangerous mission. The lost pendant represents both his connection to family and his failure to protect what’s precious, highlighting the personal costs of survival in their plague-ridden society.
3. “He had a son who worked at the warfront. He died of the plague a few years ago.”
This explanation for the stranger’s kindness shows how shared grief creates unexpected alliances in their dystopian world. It underscores how the plague has created a web of loss that connects even strangers through collective trauma.
4. “When I first met Tess three years ago, she was a skinny ten-year-old orphan rummaging through trash bins… I sometimes forget just how much I rely on her now.”
This reflection demonstrates the evolving dynamic between Day and Tess, showing how their found family relationship has become mutually sustaining. It highlights themes of survival, loyalty and interdependence in harsh circumstances.
5. “Eden can talk and seems alert enough. He tried to get out of bed and help your mother fix the leak under your sink, to prove he felt strong.”
This characterization of Eden shows his resilience and family devotion despite his illness. The detail about fixing leaks reinforces how even children must demonstrate strength in their world, while foreshadowing future challenges with his condition.