49 pages • 1 hour read
Emma ClaytonThe Roar
Emma ClaytonFiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Use of Fear to Manipulate and Control
In Emma Clayton’s dystopian future, the world’s population has been forced behind a massive concrete wall and fed the lie that everything beyond the wall is a toxic wasteland, decimated in order to control the deadly animal population. The story is so vivid—perpetuated by the government and its media outlets, and carefully crafted to trigger the deepest of human fears—that no one questions it. Like the isolated citizens in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village who are too terrified by stories of monsters lurking in the woods to venture outside their small community, the characters in The Roar are held in check by fear of ravenous, plague-ridden animals and the poisoned landscape “necessary” to eradicate them. Fear is one of the most common tactics used by authoritarian regimes to keep their subjugated populations compliant. Dictators such as Stalin and Pinochet have long used fear of imprisonment, torture, and death to control their people. Likewise, Gorman and the Northern Government use the fear of plague and toxic ash to keep residents from venturing over The Wall since the other side holds a secret that would reveal the lie and threaten the government’s hold on power.
An essential component of the lie is the media’s complicity, evoking the adage, “If it’s on TV, people will believe it.” When the media—news outlets, entertainment, etc.—are controlled by the state, as they appear to be in The Roar, citizens are subject to a constant barrage of misinformation until their whole sense of reality is skewed toward a fabricated truth. It’s not only the media, but social institutions like schools that participate. Audrey laments, “All those history lessons we did. We learned more about The Plague than anything else” (451). From a young age, children are indoctrinated, filled with fear to make them comply without question; Mika’s defiance over something as relatively minor as refusing to drink Fit Mix threatens the entire infrastructure of authoritarian power. That defiance is what authoritarians fear most—the tiny cracks in the dam that will, over time, rupture the entire structure. It’s exhausting work, maintaining a global conspiracy, and the truth that tyrants never realize is that it’s always temporary. The lie cannot hold forever, and sooner or later, a Mika or an Ellie will come along and reveal the truth to a docile world.
The Interconnectedness of the Natural World
When Mika and Audrey venture over The Wall and discover a pristine world of lush forests and thriving wildlife, one of the first things Mika notices is the light—the lifeforce—flowing from one thing to the other, connecting everything—trees, birds, earth, a majestic stag—in one sinuous thread. This harmony is sorely lacking in the city where misery and avarice sever any connection that might otherwise exist. Clayton’s juxtaposition of urban and natural landscapes suggests that humans cannot live without greenery and plant and animal life. She implicitly advocates a return to humans beings’ natural roots, roots that spawned them in the first place. London behind The Wall is either a fetid, moldy slum or a golden tower that, while opulent, remains utterly disconnected from terra firma. Londoners exist without the slightest trace of nature, and that ultimately takes its toll on their mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. Although the younger generation, who were born behind The Wall, only know nature through “holopics,” the lack of trees and grass casts a pall over all aspects of life, especially in The Shadows. In this world, flora and fauna are the most valuable currency, and it’s no wonder the ultra-rich want to hoard it all for themselves.
Mika’s ability to see light traces emanating from physical objects allows him—and Audrey as well—to perceive the true value of the world beyond The Wall. The connections he sees are revelatory—not only is everything in the natural world linked, but by extension, all things are therefore dependent upon each other. Mika’s connection to Ellie makes these natural connections that much more profound. If he and his sister share such an essential bond, then the bond humans share with plants and animals is just as vital. The Golden Turrets represents the human desire to displace nature, to build something better and stronger, but Clayton implies that no feat of engineering wizardry can ever supplant the majesty of nature’s own creation.
The Power of a Gilded Cage
The primary purpose of Gorman’s Pod Fighter competition is to recruit mutant children for his army, but the deluxe prizes he offers to the winners have a subsidiary benefit—they keep the masses compliant by dangling luxurious carrots in front of them as rewards for towing the line. For the parents, who have known life before The Wall (if only briefly), the opportunity for themselves and their children to escape a fold-down apartment surrounded by stagnant floodwater is too tempting to resist. Ironically, the children are the ones who put themselves in harm’s way, but the parents enjoy the fruits of their labor. Mika knows the Caribbean World Vacation Complex is a cheap knock-off—everything, sand and fish included, is fake—but David and Asha seem taken in by the façade. Asha lounges on the beach with a cocktail while David gleefully barbeques. Meanwhile, Mika and the other contestants fire real harpoons at moving targets. Gorman knows that if he can ensnare the parents with the promise of material rewards, a beautifully gilded cage, the kids will have to follow suit.
The fallacy in Gorman’s logic, however, is that a gilded cage is still a cage, and the adults eventually recognize that. When Mika is wounded by a stray harpoon bolt, the reality of the competition—the risks versus the rewards—finally hits home. Asha and David order Mika to drop out despite the promise of a new apartment and real food. Gorman’s avarice prevents him from seeing his own error in judgment. He cannot imagine why anyone would refuse a new apartment or the elevated status that comes with it. “‘They ought to be grateful,’ Gorman said. ‘But for some reason I’ve found poor people would rather starve to death than lose their children’” (399). By offering rewards to a select few, Gorman hopes to divide and conquer, to prevent the poor from forming a united front, but the moment he seizes thousands of children in one fell swoop, he has crossed a line. The spontaneous revolt that overruns the Golden Turrets demonstrates that the voices of the masses will not be silenced.
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