56 pages • 1-hour read
The 100
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death.
Earth
The planet Earth acts as a symbol that supports the novel’s focus on The Impact of External Change on Internal Growth. For Bellamy, Clarke, and Wells, Earth offers an opportunity for a fresh start, allowing them to escape the pressures of the oppressive council. Freed from cruel social expectations and laws, they begin to learn what it means to be human, and they experience the original place where humans were meant to be. This situation results in different transformations for each of them; Bellamy becomes a survivalist, Clarke becomes a medic, and Wells strives to be a genuine leader. In this way, the setting of Earth represents the idea that the same basic change in circumstances can have different effects on different people.
Beyond its effects on the characters, the Earth’s history within the story also suggests that in many ways, humanity has not changed since the Cataclysm. Prior to this disastrous event, the Earth’s governing powers were engaged in nuclear war, fighting over power and resources. However, in the narrative present, the council remains just as corrupt as the old Earth social systems, working solely to cement its own power at the expense of its most vulnerable citizens. The progression of the Earth itself also follows along these lines. The last anyone on the colony knew, Earth was a wasteland with deadly radiation levels . However, when the kids arrive, they find a healed planet that has largely recovered from the destruction brought on it by the will of the powerful. Thus, the Earth symbolizes both the past folly of humanity and its hope for a new future.
The Colony
The colony, with its highly stratified society, represents The Struggle Between Oppression and Freedom. Divided into the wealthier Phoenix ship and the less affluent Walden and Arcadia ships, the colony also reflects many of the toxic dynamics of The Power Inherent in Privilege. Through Glass’s relationship with Luke, the chapters set on the colony highlight the many ways in which life on Phoenix differs from life on Walden, and it is soon apparent that the council members use their power to keep the people of the different ships divided and powerless. Glass’s development from spoiled Phoenix resident to prisoner to pardoned criminal forces her to experience the full range of social positions aboard the colony, and she soon realizes that the system unfairly benefits those at the top, who then use their influence to do favors only for those they deem worthy, like Glass.
Like the Earth, the colony also embodies greater messages about the journey of humankind. Initially, the colony was built as a temporary measure allowing humanity to escape nuclear winter and survive until the Earth was habitable again—or until another permanent home presented itself. After several hundred years, however, the colony can no longer function to support life. This situation suggests that the council has reveled in the comfort that comes with power, growing complacent rather than searching for long-term solutions for humanity’s survival. The narrative suggests that before the current crisis, the council had no motivation to seek out a new home for humanity because the status quo allowed them to exploit others for their own benefit. In this way, the colony’s very state of affairs indicates that even the Cataclysm did not cure humanity of its vulnerability to corruption.
The Gaia Doctrine
Named after the archetypal Earth mother of Greek mythology, the Gaia Doctrine is a collection of laws put in place to govern the colony and control its population in order to ensure humanity’s long-term survival in space. The doctrine was put in place when humanity fled the Earth hundreds of years before the events in the novel begin. Although these laws were designed to give humanity the best chance of surviving, this rigid social system has since led to harsh punishments for seemingly innocuous infractions, such as death for initiating an unplanned pregnancy. Thus, the doctrine represents the difference between the first humans to escape Earth and the people who reside aboard the colony now. In the past, such rules were justified because the people who escaped Earth were desperate to prevent the same issues of overpopulation from occurring again. However, by establishing such a strict doctrine, they doomed their descendants to an oppressive world.
The Gaia Doctrine also symbolizes The Power Inherent in Privilege because these laws are applied differently on Phoenix and Walden, as revealed in Glass’s backstory. When Glass’s pregnancy was discovered, she was arrested and imprisoned with the possibility of being retried and pardoned. However, Luke’s Walden-based roommate (the man she falsely implicated as the father of her child) was not given this chance, even though both parents are equally responsible for a pregnancy. Glass’s pardon by the vice chancellor furthers the idea that the Gaia Doctrine has been perverted by those in power to act as rules for their enrichment. By pardoning a beautiful girl from Phoenix, the vice chancellor uses the Gaia Doctrine’s trial system to make it appear as though he is not abusing his power and summarily executing every convicted criminal. Thus, it is clear that the fairness outlined in the Gaia Doctrine is not guaranteed in practice. True fairness would require a fair interpretation of the law, but instead, those with privilege, like the vice chancellor, use their power to further their own ends.
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