“There was a hint of wind coming over the top of the stone walls and through the barbed-wire sky on the day Alexander Stowe was to be Purged.”

The opening line of the novel introduces the protagonist as well as the existential threat to his life. The mysterious Purge (its importance made evident by its capitalization) is presented like a firing squad. Alex stands stoically before the means of his execution, his fate made all the more evident by the clear relief that washes over his brother Aaron’s face when it is announced that Aaron will be spared. 

“In Quill all the trees were confined to one place so that no one would get notions about introducing such a bright color into the housing quadrants.”

The gray desolation of Quill seems even more desaturated and dystopian in contrast to the world of Artimé. In such a short space of time, Alex and the other Unwanteds go from facing certain death to being welcomed into a colorful, naturalistic world. The juxtaposition serves to highlight the depressive nature of Quill and explain the extreme shock the Unwanted children experience.

“Quill prevails when the strong survive.”

This mantra, with its inherently fascist overtones, is repeated by the Quill Secretary when she is told she will be retired from her position and sent to her death. The flat, emotionless way she repeats the phrase reveals how constant brainwashing has affected the people of Quill. Everyone has bought into the idea that they live in a perfect society, even though that is clearly far from true.