Analyzing Plot Structure and Characters’ Evolution in the Undivided Dystology by Neal Shusterman

This is a hypothetical analysis of the Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman, but it can be open for critique. This post entails an alignment of story structure beats from Abbie Emmons’ interpretation of the three-act story structure to each of the four main books.

In book 1, Unwind, The Normal Situation of unwinding exists, and there are people escaping or rebelling. At first, Connor escapes rather than fights. Connor’s goal, at first, is to make people regret the unwinding. The inciting incident seems to be when Connor runs off with a trucker who has his hand unwound. Then a family driving to tithing (Lev's unwinding) collides with the bus Risa was on. She takes the chaos as an opportunity to run, while Connor takes Lev and runs into the woods also.

Plot twists happen, and reactions to each plot twist occur. Roland might give Connor another perspective that shows the more malicious side of his personality and reminds us of his internal conflict. Lev also has a perspective shift when CyFi shows the horror of unwinding, having a piece of someone that made him behave differently, randomly stealing in sharp contrast to Cyrus’ personality. Risa’s perspective shift may be her helpfulness in unwinding those who need help, leading to the novel’s midpoint, which seems to occur when resources have been collected and set in place. Now the characters can apply it to reaching their goals. This may occur with the entrance of the Admiral, someone people are suspicious of, but Connor is selected for being a leader to resist unwinding and make a change about the norm.

Roland is Connor’s link to the breaking point because he feels responsible for punishing Roland for his abuses. Cinnor confronted him, murdering him to take the place of the Unwinds Roland was in charge of. Dragging the breaking point even more, everyone at the graveyard was found and inquired about by the juvenile cop that Connor originally tranquilized. Eventually, they are sent to the harvest camp. This would be the breaking point until the climax arrives and Roland and Connor are equally vulnerable and fighting their mutual antagonist. He learns that escaping or resisting negotiation is less uncomfortable than confronting the fear of being ‘immoral’, which may actually be a weapon against unwinding. Connor decides to enter the unwinding dignified, but the process is interrupted by clappers. Proof of transformation includes Lev distinguishing what God thinks from what humans think and how we alter God’s ideas. Risa seems to distinguish who she trusts from who she doesn't, even if there is a close denominator, like Connor having been in competition with Roland. Risa also proves she can be useful. Connor is still the same in many ways, despite a piece or more being replaced. In a way, he asks himself, "Do I deserve to be unwound?" One of his friends, Hayden, says his strength is integrity, which nicely circles back to what he has and what one of the people in charge of unwinding in the fourth book didn’t have. It’s interesting that integrity means ‘being undivided’, but also being honest and having a sense of morals.

In book 2, Unwhollies, Mason Starky is brought to the graveyard by the Anti-Divisional Resistance. They fight unwinding in hiding, but eventually can’t hide. The story begins with context as Connor and Gayden go on recruiting unwinds disguised as cops. He wants to have a club for storked children. He ends up being the Manchurian candidate. Discovering the trace was part of the police was a plot twist and a sidestep for Connor. His showing Connor what Risa was forced to do with Cam Camprix was the breaking point. The climax is when the graveyard is attacked by the police. As an end goal of the book, they learn about the machine invented to replace unwinding. Positive transformation might be Lev trying to save Connor and have his plan work to fight unwinding, since Connor’s didn’t. Yet he shows Connor that Risa, in her last interview with Cam, spoke against Proactive Citizenry, and Cam agreed to deconstruct it.

In book 3, Unsouled, Lev, and Connof head to Ohio to find Sonia. The inciting incident seeks to be when an obsessed fan, Argent, kidnaps Argent but gets cops to track him. Another plot twist is when Risa gets caught by the parts pirates. Connor has to drive Lev to get help with a reservation. Cam wants to find Risa again. Risa ends up meeting Tylerfolk—the parts of Tyler that were put into other people. The breaking point seems to consist of the time when Connor is experiencing hate due to the perception that he hurt Lev. The climax seems to be when he’s with proactive citizens, face-to-face with Camus Composite. In falling action, Cam, for short, is found by Proactive Citizenry again at Sonia’s shop.

In book 4, Undivided, Connor and Risa are back in Sonia‘s antique shop. They want to discover the purpose of the machine. Later on, the campus led to the shop when Connor left, but he wasn’t there, so he ended up killing someone. This is a pot twist. They had to leave the basement because of the fire, and then he reached his house. The climax is finding a way to deal with the bonding with integrity, which she felt was lacking in their system. Proof of the transition came after they went out to speak to people coming to unwind, including his parents, who pleaded to reconcile.