The 100

In many ways, the various flashbacks embedded in these chapters carry the core of the narrative, revealing long-held secrets and casting multiple characters in a morally ambiguous light. Because Glass is the only point-of-view character who is still on the colony, her experiences explains the toxic politics between the privileged Phoenix and the disenfranchised Walden. The author also uses these scenes to foreshadow events that will occur later in the series, when the calamities on the colony ultimately collide with the situation facing the kids on Earth. 

The callous decision to cut off air to Walden in order to save Phoenix is the novel’s ultimate display of The Power Inherent in Privilege, for the council has essentially dehumanized the poverty-stricken citizens of Walden, deeming them unworthy of being saved. The system that was supposedly designed to save the remnants of the entire human race is now revealed to be little more than a smoke screen hiding the fact that Walden has never had the same rights or privileges as Phoenix. The disparities in the system are vividly portrayed via Glass and Luke’s relationship, which illustrates the many ways—both literal and emotional—in which social hierarchies damage lives and compromise relationships. In this instance, Glass and Luke are physically separated when the barrier comes down. The fact that they are both members of the dying human race does not matter; Glass’s status as a Phoenix citizen has guaranteed her safety and condemned her lover to die. However, Glass’s determination to stand with the air-starved Walden citizens indicates that in the direst of circumstances, individual people can make decisions that preserve their dignity—even if those decisions may cost them their lives.

While Glass’s struggle against the council’s injustices offers context for the conflicts on the colony, Clarke, Bellamy, and Wells’s experiences continue to illustrate The Struggle between Oppression and Freedom. The fire stands as the climactic action that breaks relationships and shatters hopes. In the aftermath, Graham finally gives up on his attempts to seize the leadership role, although it is unclear whether he does not want the responsibility or is merely biding his time. With the threat from this would-be “strong-man leader” momentarily quelled, Wells takes up a key role in directing the others, but his behavior is less an embrace of responsibility and more of an attempt to distract himself from the pain of Clarke’s rejection. Because this particular relationship remains largely unresolved, the author uses this element of uncertainty to foreshadow the continuation of the love triangle dynamic in the next installment of the series. 

Further strengthening this impression, Clarke and Bellamy’s joint discovery of the apple trees creates a new basis for a bond between them and suggests that the two will grow closer as the series progresses. Both teens have chosen to take on new responsibilities in their impromptu leadership roles. Significantly, when Clarke chooses to help Bellamy search for Octavia instead of directing the cleanup in the aftermath of the fire, it is clear that she no longer feels obligated to share her expertise with those who made no move to help her during the crisis itself. Embittered by the others’ fearful inaction, Clarke needs space to grieve and to figure out who she truly wants to be in this new world, and her struggle reflects The Impact of External Change on Internal Growth. Similarly, Octavia’s disappearance has reconnected Bellamy with his reason for coming to Earth: to protect his little sister. Unlike the last several chapters, when he stubbornly created an idealized version of Octavia for himself and others, he now acknowledges every aspect of his sister and still chooses to protect her, flaws and all. Given the increasingly dire nature of the kids’ situation, he strives to forgive her for her past lies. Thus, Clarke, Wells, and Bellamy are all striving to overcome the mistakes of their pasts and create a fresh start for themselves on Earth.