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Similes
Chapter 19
Explanation and Analysis—Take Me Out to Lunch:
In Chapter 19, Scythe Curie sets Citra a task—to atone for the worst thing she has ever done. This is part of Curie's highly moral approach to Scythehood. Citra easily decides the worst act she can remember: pushing her friend Rhonda Flowers in front of a truck when they were young children. Citra ruefully recalls this event throughout the book. Curie makes Citra ask Rhonda to push her in front of a truck, so they can be even. But Rhonda, ironically, is not interested:
“Listen, it’s tempting and all,” said Rhonda, “but I’ve got homework, and dance class later.”
“So… you don’t want to?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just busy today. Can I throw you under a truck some other time?”
Citra hesitated. “Okay…”
“Or better yet, maybe you can just take me out to lunch or something.”
“Okay…”
“Just next time, please give us some warning so you don’t freak out my mother.” Then she said good-bye, stepped inside, and closed the door.
This kind of retribution is normal in scythe training, especially for Curie's apprentices; Rhonda does not seem surprised by the offer. In fact, Rhonda simply has better things to do. Her only qualm is that she is busy—but Rhonda has no apparent issue with pushing her friend in front of a truck. The situation is all quite ironic. Citra's request to Rhonda seems ridiculous to any real-life reader, but with the state of medicine in the post-mortal world, death has become a normal part of everyday life. As Rhonda's teenage ennui clearly shows, death has become rather uninteresting thanks to the Thunderhead.
Related Themes:
