Legend (Legend #1)
Chapter 9: Part One: Day 5
by Marie, Lu,The chapter opens with the narrator, Day, and Tess hiding under a pier by a lake in their sector, sharing bread and cheese. Despite Day’s lack of appetite, they eat to conserve resources for plague medicine. The setting is described as both beautiful and grim, with the ruins of flooded buildings and the distant lights of downtown Los Angeles contrasting with the ominous presence of the Trial stadium. Tess tries to reassure Day that they still have time to find medicine, but Day remains skeptical, knowing the urgency of their situation.
Day reflects on his family, particularly his younger brother Eden, who is gravely ill with the plague. A visit to his mother’s house reveals Eden’s worsening condition, marked by weight loss and weakness. John, another family member, warns Day to avoid reckless actions, though Day feels responsible for saving Eden. The Trial, a brutal selection process for children, looms over Eden’s future, and Day morbidly considers whether the plague might be a kinder fate than the Trial’s horrors, which include potential deportation to labor camps.
The conversation shifts to Tess, who listens sympathetically as Day recounts Eden’s history of illness. Tess, who has no family of her own, shares her own experience of being sick when Day first met her. This prompts Day to reflect on their first encounter: he found Tess scavenging in an alley, terrified and alone. Despite her initial fear, Day helped clean her injuries and offered food, and she eventually chose to stay with him. Their bond began with this act of kindness, highlighting Day’s protective nature and Tess’s resilience.
The chapter concludes with a flashback to Day’s first night with Tess, where she remained wary but stayed by his side. Her presence the next morning marked the beginning of their partnership. The narrative underscores themes of survival, loyalty, and the harsh realities of their world, where illness and systemic oppression shape their lives. Day’s determination to save Eden and his growing bond with Tess drive the emotional core of the chapter, blending hope with despair.
FAQs
1. What is the significance of the Trial stadium mentioned in the chapter, and how does it relate to the protagonist’s concerns about Eden?
Answer:
The Trial stadium represents a feared institution in this dystopian society where children undergo rigorous testing on their tenth birthday. The protagonist dreads Eden potentially facing this ordeal, which involves physical tests, exams, and interviews that determine whether children return home or are sent to labor camps. The stadium symbolizes systemic oppression and the arbitrary cruelty of this world. The protagonist’s concern is twofold: Eden might die from the plague before facing the Trial, which could paradoxically spare him from a worse fate. This reflects the grim reality where a deadly disease might be “a blessing in disguise” compared to state-sanctioned suffering.2. Analyze the relationship dynamics between the protagonist and Tess. How does their interaction reveal their respective character traits?
Answer:
The protagonist and Tess share a bond forged through mutual survival and vulnerability. The protagonist shows compassion through actions like sharing food, cleaning Tess’s wounds when they first met, and offering emotional support despite their own worries. Tess demonstrates resilience (optimism about finding plague medicine) and trauma (her initial fear of touch). Their dynamic reveals the protagonist’s protective instincts and guilt over privileging their own family struggles, while Tess’s willingness to lean on the protagonist shows her capacity for trust despite past hardships. Their relationship serves as a rare source of comfort in their harsh world, evident in small gestures like sharing bread or sitting shoulder-to-shoulder under the pier.3. How does the chapter use environmental details to establish the setting’s dystopian qualities? Provide specific examples.
Answer:
The setting blends decay and technological control: flooded ruins of buildings coexist with industrial waterwheels and turbines, suggesting failed adaptation to climate disaster. The “shabby, beautiful little Lake sector” contrasts with the ominous glow of downtown Los Angeles, highlighting inequality. The X-marked plague doors and soldiers patrolling piers imply constant surveillance. Food scarcity is evident in characters trading “precious Notes” for bread and scavenging garbage bins. These details create a world where environmental collapse (floods), disease, and authoritarianism intersect. The pier itself—where characters hide from soldiers—epitomizes this tension, offering both a refuge and a vantage point to observe systemic oppression (the stadium lights).4. What does the flashback to Tess and the protagonist’s first meeting reveal about survival ethics in this society?
Answer:
The flashback exposes a hierarchy of vulnerability: Tess, as a homeless child, was so desperate she ate from garbage bins and initially feared the protagonist might harm her. The protagonist’s act of sharing food and medical aid, while compassionate, also highlights how rare such kindness is—Tess’s companions fled immediately. Survival here requires distrust (Tess’s flinching) but occasionally allows for solidarity. The scene also contrasts with the present, where Tess has learned to trust the protagonist, suggesting that mutual aid is possible even in brutal conditions. However, the protagonist’s initial irritation at Tess’s fear underscores how hardship can erode patience, even among those trying to help.5. Why might the author have chosen to juxtapose the descriptions of Eden’s illness with the nostalgic memory of his childhood pox?
Answer:
This juxtaposition serves three purposes: First, it emphasizes Eden’s fragility, making his current plague infection more tragic. Second, it contrasts past and present threats—childhood illness was survivable, but the plague (and the Trial system) are existential dangers. Third, it reveals the protagonist’s coping mechanism: reminiscing about a time when Eden’s survival was uncertain but ultimately secured, which subtly fuels their hope that he might overcome the plague too. The memory also underscores the arbitrary cruelty of their world; surviving one illness only to face deadlier threats mirrors how characters navigate cycles of trauma and resilience throughout the narrative.
Quotes
1. “From where we sit, we can taste the salt in the air and see the lights of downtown Los Angeles reflected on the water. Ruins of older buildings dot the lake, buildings abandoned by business owners and residents when the floodwaters rose.”
This quote paints a vivid picture of the dystopian setting, contrasting beauty (“lights reflected on the water”) with decay (“ruins of older buildings”). It establishes the post-catastrophe world where nature has reclaimed urban spaces.
2. “Eden would never have to stand outside our door on his tenth birthday, waiting for a bus to take him to the Trial stadium… He’d never have to wait in one of several groups afterward, unsure which groups would return home and which group would be sent off to the so-called ‘labor camps.’”
This reveals the horrifying reality of the Trial system, where children face an Orwellian selection process. The protagonist’s grim speculation that plague might be “more merciful” than the Trial underscores the society’s brutality.
3. “I still don’t know what made me stop and talk to her that afternoon. Maybe the heat had made me soft, or maybe I was just in a good mood because I’d found a restaurant that had thrown out an entire day’s worth of old sandwiches.”
This introspective moment captures the randomness of kindness in their harsh world. The juxtaposition of mundane details (“old sandwiches”) with life-changing decisions highlights how survival and humanity coexist in this society.
4. “She stared back at me without a word. I could barely make out her face because of all the soot on it… ‘Please,’ she said. ‘Please, please.’”
This heartbreaking encounter with young Tess reveals the trauma of street children in this world. Her repeated “please” and defensive posture show how vulnerability and fear dominate the lives of the unprotected.