The Knife of Never Letting Go Part VI
Todd wakes five days later in the house of Dr. Snow, a man from Crabonel Downs, who promises Viola and him a place of safety from the army. Viola tells Todd that they had floated in the river for a day and a half unable to find a place to find help since all the settlements they had passed were so severely wracked by poverty. However, she tells him that Carbonel Downs treats women very differently, as they keep them in separate buildings outside of town in dormitories. They resolve to leave the place at first chance, but Todd suddenly hears Ben singing from outside of town. He races out and finds his foster father there, in poor condition but alive and well. Ben tells them that he has been keeping ahead of the army for a good while and that Todd needed to leave immediately since the army would be attacking Carbonel Downs very soon. They are found hiding outside of town by Dr. Snow and other men of the town, who want to punish Ben for breaching a law that Todd knows nothing about. They are unable to enforce their punishment as news arrives about the approach of the army, and the men return to prepare for defense.
Todd escapes with Viola and Ben, hoping that the defense of the settlement would slow down the army enough for them to reach Haven. They stop in a cemetery at midnight, where Ben gives Todd a full account of what was happening to him. Ben tells them that the Noise had always been a part of New World, and not something that had been caused by the Spackle. Humans however were unused to this overflow of information. The first consequence of this was the war against the Spackle, and when the Spackle was nearly annihilated, the men turned against women. Mayor Prentiss, who had just been Prentiss at one time, had convinced Jessica to find a settlement far away from the others. After the war with the Spackle, the Prentisstown men killed all the women including Todd’s mother. All the other settlements declared that Prentisstown men were criminals and should be punished with death. The boys of the town were kept in the dark about the true history until their thirteenth birthday, and then they were told the truth and made “complicit.” Todd had been raised by Ben and Cillian, who was practically forced to remain in Prentisstown. Todd had now become a symbol for Mayor Prentiss, who needed to make sure that Todd became a killer so he could go on to fulfill his plan of world domination. Viola and Todd are forced to abandon Ben when they are attacked by Davy Prentiss Jr.
Todd nearly loses all hope of abandoning Ben, but Viola reminds him that Ben had wanted them to go on and that his sacrifice would be meaningless if they just stopped. Todd recollects his will, and they journey onward toward Haven. Todd asks Viola to read his journal when they stop to rest. Viola reads Todd’s mother’s journal from the time of Todd’s birth. Todd’s mother talks of a world filled with hope, and gentle Spackle, but there are undercurrents of trouble in her words. Both Todd and Viola are reduced to tears. In a moment of revelation, Todd begins to understand what Viola is experiencing without having to hear her thoughts. As they continue their journey, Todd appreciates Viola’s presence and wonders how things would be different. They reach an extremely large waterfall and discover the city of Haven laid before them. They check the Binoculars and find that they have outrun the army which would take several hours to reach the settlement, but they catch sight of Aaron rowing down the river towards them.
Todd and Viola hide inside an abandoned church that is built behind the waterfall, but Aaron finds them. Todd and Viola have come to understand that Aaron doesn’t want to kill Viola but rather that he wants to die at Todd’s hands. Aaron confirms this truth and claims that he would become a saint if Todd were to murder him. Todd thought he was prepared to kill Aaron, but when he is faced with the opportunity to do it, he hesitates. After a brief struggle, Viola ends up killing Aaron. She is horrified at her actions, but she had done it to ensure that Todd did not have to do it. Outside the church, Davy Jr shoots Viola in the abdomen. Todd assaults him and sends him dangling on a spooked horse. He carries Viola and runs to Haven where he is treated by Maor Prentiss, now called President Prentiss. And he realizes there is suddenly no noise in the air.
Analysis
In this final section of the book, we witness the culmination of Todd’s coming-of-age story. He uncovers the dark history of his town and the sad fate of his mother, and he is forced to confront his flaws. Todd bears these troubling revelations with the help of Viola, who becomes his companion and a reminder of hope, one that they have both almost abandoned. Viola sings a song from his mother’s journal, and Todd has a sudden understanding of her emotions without having to hear her noise. He begins to see that understanding does not only come from Noise.
Todd also confronts Aaron’s disturbing quest. The brainwashed Preacher demonstrates Mayor Prentiss’s ability to brainwash people, as Aaron brutally drives himself to fulfill the Mayor’s vision. Ultimately, Todd is prevented from killing him by Viola. The reader witnesses an altered Todd after this point. He comforts Viola as he tells her that all people fall in some way eventually, but that all of them need to be able to rise back up despite the fall. His encounter with Davy also demonstrates an increased understanding of his abilities as he easily beats Davy and gets rid of him. The book ends with a rather pessimistic outlook with a cliffhanger. Todd finds that he has been overtaken by the army and that they have already taken over Haven, the city that had been their last hope of safety.
