56 pages • 1-hour read
The 100
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death.
The Struggle Between Oppression and Freedom
The characters and events of The 100 explore the relationship between systematic oppression and freedom, highlighting the idea that individuals strive to be free even when conditions persist in keeping them oppressed. This struggle is most intensely reflected in Bellamy’s actions. As the only point-of-view character from Walden, Bellamy has already experienced considerable oppression aboard the colony, and his choices for the future have been systematically limited by restrictions that the council placed on Walden to keep this section subordinate to Phoenix in the social hierarchy. On a personal level, Bellamy has also experienced the council’s oppression in the devastating effect that the one-child law has had on his family, who has been forced to live a life of secrets in order to protect Octavia.
When Bellamy reaches Earth, he is free from council oppression for the first time in his life. Initially, this change feels shocking because he does not always have to remain hypervigilant, but he quickly adjusts to the idea that his life is his own, and this newfound freedom makes him realize just how profoundly his past life of oppression has influenced his present identity. Although he and his companions discover that life on Earth is more difficult than life on the colony in many ways, Bellamy prefers this existence because he can finally live on his own terms. This inner revelation explains his staunch refusal to condone any sort of oppression in the rudimentary society that the teens struggle to create for themselves. In short, Bellamy vows never to accept a system that would imprison him and Octavia within its strict hierarchical rules. As he reflects, “Living in the forest wouldn’t be easy, but at least he and Octavia would be free” (148). Through Bellamy’s emotional journey, The 100 shows that a life of difficult freedom is preferable to a simpler life of oppression.
While Bellamy’s experiences reflect the profound effects of living under oppression, the power struggle between Graham and Wells symbolizes the ease with which oppressive systems can arise. Freed from the oppression of the colony, the teens now have the choice to pursue any type of government or lifestyle that they wish, but they soon find themselves falling back on the oppressive patterns of the system in which they were raised. Just like always, the people with the resources and power make the rules, while the others are pressured into resentful obedience. This dynamic can be seen in the ease with which Graham amasses power and influence and in his immoral decision to hoard supplies and dole them out according to his own whims. With this approach, Graham essentially recreates a version of the council, with the people he favors taking the place of the elite of Phoenix, while those he dislikes become the lower-class residents of this rudimentary new society. Because the kids are used to the injustices of such a system, they fall into line and view Graham as a strong leader because he emulates the tactics of the tyrannical leaders of the colony.
By contrast, the kids immediately reject Wells’s leadership because they associate him with his father and therefore with the council, and they fail to realize that Graham, not Wells, is now their oppressor. Though Wells has no desire to oppress the kids, his past prevents him from becoming an effective leader, and the group’s residual anger against the elites of the space colony makes it easier for Graham to win influence. Because Graham was also oppressed by the council, the kids mistakenly view him as someone who understands their plight and will fight for them. Their miscalculation on this point stands as a broader critique of the general populace’s tendency to accept the imposition of oppressive policies that masquerade as measures taken for the greater good.
The Power Inherent in Privilege
The experiences of the novel’s point-of-view characters examine many ways in which a person’s sense of privilege can influence their understanding the world, and Wells stands as a prime example of someone who takes dangerous liberties with the lives and safety of others because he believes that he is justified in seizing what he wants most in the world, even if his actions harm others. As the son of the colony’s chancellor, Wells’s automatic air of entitlement proves to be his fatal flaw. From the very beginning, he demonstrates the power of his privilege by intentionally getting himself arrested and put on the transport to Earth—a fate that the other 99 prisoners, who know what true hardship is like, wish they could avoid. As a series of flashbacks reveal that Wells’s actions are driven by his love for Clarke, the narrative makes it clear that he has abused his privilege by using it to save one person on a failing colony while committing actions that endanger the remaining hundreds. When Clarke finally understands that Wells used his social power to get his way, disregarding the potential cost in lives, she ultimately rejects him in favor of Bellamy, and this development forces Wells to realize that his privilege does not guarantee that he will always get what he wants in life. Because he continues to persist in his belief that his actions were justified, Wells represents the idea that extreme privilege skews a person’s understanding of reality.
Whereas Wells shows how unquestioned privilege can prevent people from empathizing with others’ needs and experiences, Glass’s situation reveals how privilege can be used as a weapon. In a flashback scene, Wells witnesses a pregnant woman being arrested for violating the law against unplanned pregnancy and struggles with his immediate intuition that the colony’s harsh judgment is wrong. In explanation, his father tells him that personal feelings cannot hinder the broader goal of “keeping the human race alive” (141). However, Glass’s experience reveals the lie in the chancellor’s words, for she, a Phoenix resident, is ultimately absolved of her crime of having an unplanned pregnancy. Although she is punished to a certain degree, the vice chancellor’s later decision to pardon her reveals his ulterior motive of using Glass’s privilege as a tool for his own ends. Because Glass is a young, pretty resident of Phoenix, her pardon for a crime punishable by death sends a mixed message to the rest of the colony. On one hand, it suggests that execution is not the only punishment being fulfilled on the criminals in confinement. On the other hand, however, it suggests that the only people worthy of a pardon are beautiful upper-class girls with great social privilege. By pardoning Glass, the vice chancellor essentially tells the entire colony only upper-class members of society deserve any leniency in such situations. Thus, Glass becomes a symbol of the nefarious tactics that oppressive regimes use to advance their agenda and cater to certain groups over others.
The Impact of External Change on Internal Growth
All of the character arcs featured in The 100 explore the idea that changes and challenges help people to discover who they truly are. Bellamy’s transformation is a particularly thorough example of this dynamic because his identity on Earth is entirely different than his limited role on the colony. Aboard the colony, Bellamy ignored his own need for personal growth so that he could continue to protect Octavia from discovery. In order to do so, he had to lie to everyone (including himself) in order to keep his family above suspicion. Once he is freed from that intense social pressure, Bellamy can finally figure out who he truly wants to be. His sudden shift in mindset can be seen in his first comparisons of the colony and Earth. In Chapter 14, for example, he notes how quiet Earth is compared to the constant low hum of the station. At first, the quiet bothers him, but he eventually realizes that “the more time he [spends] here, the quieter his mind [becomes]” (147).
This inner change reflects Bellamy’s growing comfort with the planet and his new role among the kids. In short, Earth represents a chance for him to expand his skills and make useful contributions to the group. He also lets go of his bitterness toward kids who were formerly of Phoenix, realizing that on Earth, they are all the same. This shift in perspective inspires him to develop romantic feelings towards Clarke. This is something that he never would have let himself do aboard the colony, particularly not for someone like Clarke, whose status as a Phoenix resident would have been dangerous to Bellamy and Octavia’s survival. By the end of the novel, the myriad of changes to Bellamy’s personality show that he is becoming his true self on Earth and embracing dynamic new changes.
While Bellamy’s transformation shows the power that comes from making a clean break with one’s past, Clarke’s experiences suggest that clinging to the past can hinder such transformation, for even though she too changes in her time on earth, she struggles to break free of her old frustrations and resentments. Notably, many of the novel’s flashbacks feature Clarke’s past, particularly her previous romantic involvement with Wells. Initially, their relationship is portrayed as being strong because they are both upper-class Phoenix kids harboring stressful secrets brought on by their parents’ privileged place within the system. Once those backgrounds are removed, Clarke can choose something else for the first time, and while her anger keeps her away from Wells, she gets to know Bellamy—someone she never would have met on the colony. However, her frequent vacillation between the two boys continues throughout the midsection of the novel, reflecting her tendency to cling to the old status quo even as she strives to forge a new life for herself.
Eventually, however, Clarke makes a definitive choice to commit to Bellamy over Wells. Bellamy’s lack of privilege and his extensive survival skills impress Clarke. By accepting Bellamy and rejecting Wells, Clarke chooses her life on Earth over the vestiges of her old life on the colony, and chooses to align with the future instead of living in the anger of her past. This choice helps her reach the culmination of her character arc and become her true self—someone who is willing to do whatever she can to survive and to help the members of her new community.
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