The Knife of Never Letting Go Part V
Todd wakes to find Manchee licking his face, and it takes a few moments for him to collect his thoughts. Aaron had plunged a knife into Todd’s back but the knife had been stopped by his mother’s journal. He takes a bandage from Viola’s back and tries to staunch the bleeding from his head and back. He thinks that Aaron must have carried Viola off toward the army. He is horrified at being found by the army but he still resolves to return for Viola’s sake. However, Manchee finds a scent trail for Viola that heads off toward Haven rather than the army. Manchee leads a severely weakened and hungry Todd through forested land. They come across a settlement where men and women sleep in different buildings, but they continue on their way without investigating. Todd begins to experience a fever, and he believes it's from being stabbed by a knife with Spackle's blood. He tries not to think about the scared Spackle that he had killed.
Todd’s fever makes the journey even more difficult, and Todd ends up in a ditch next to a road where he is found by Wilf. He had known Todd and Viola were lying about being from Farbranch, but he had chosen to keep their secret from them. Wilf’s wife Jane treats Todd’s injuries with a poultice and feeds him some bread. Todd realizes that Wilf’s cart is at the end of a large caravan of people who had listened to Wilf’s warning about the army, and was now making their way to Haven. Jane gives Todd some food and warns him about the settlements in the region since the people there were thought to have gone mad. Todd and Manchee return to follow the trail of Viola’s scent.
Todd’s pain is relieved but the fever continues to worsen as they come closer to Aaron and Viola. Todd hallucinates about several encounters with Aaron until he catches sight of the real Aaron. Todd understands that he cannot kill Aaron, but he comes up with a plan to lure Aaron away for long enough to get Viola onto one of the boats that are tied up at an abandoned settlement. Todd hallucinates a version of himself talking to him as he plans, telling him that his plans will fail and that he will not be able to protect Viola or Manchee. Todd proceeds with determination, and he sends Manchee off to create a distraction that would lure Aaron away from a prone Viola. The plan succeeds as Manchee successfully drives Aaron away from Viola just as Todd reaches her with a boat. Todd has a difficult time moving Viola since she had been drugged by Aaron, but they manage to reach the boat along with a returning Manchee. At the last moment, Aaron appears and grabs Todd’s leg just as the boat begins to move in the water. Manchee jumps off the boat and bites off Aaron’s nose. Aaron grabs Manchee and threatens to kill him unless Todd returns to him on the shore. Todd miserably watches Aaron break Manchee’s neck as the boat is fully taken by the current of the river, and he hears Viola weeping.
Analysis
Todd races through an unknown forest with a fever and several debilitating injuries. He experiences hallucinations, severe fatigue, and hunger, yet he does not cease moving. Todd cares for nothing but Viola’s safety at this point. He has also come to understand that he is not a killer. Todd’s guilt over the murder of the helpless Spackle haunts him as he clambers and stumbles through the forest. He finds himself unable to kill a turtle even for sustenance. Later in the section, Todd’s guilt about the murder of the Spackle presents itself in the form of a pessimistic illusion. The other Todd tells him that he will end up killing Manchee if he tries to save Viola. Aaron’s murder of Manchee is a deeply painful event for Todd, who suddenly finds himself devoid of his dear companion. Jane, Wilf’s wife, tells Todd that he is a danger to everyone around him because he belongs to Prentisstown. By the end of the section, her words begin to appear like a prophecy, as Todd loses Manchee and is left with just Viola.
