Essay Questions

Explain Hatch's philosophy in terms of his metaphor of the Four Horsemen.

In Chapter 11, when Hatch explains his detailed plan to the remaining members of the board, he likens himself and his associates to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, an image from the biblical book of Revelation. The Four Horsemen, in his version, are War, Famine, Plague, and Death, and they represent the four stages of his eradication of all non-electric humans after he takes over the world.

Hatch has a serious superiority complex; he believes that strength and power are the sources of right, and since the electric humans are stronger than non-electric humans, they have to right to use them however they wish. He plans to create more of these superhumans and use them to take over the world and remake it in his image before destroying whatever is left of the original world through War, Famine, Plague (genetically engineered diseases), and Death (a plague of hungry, electrified rats set upon the weakened world). Hatch is a megalomaniac madman who will actualize these plans if given the opportunity.

Trace the development of Nichelle's character through the novel.

At the beginning of the book, Nichelle is working at a fast food stop in Pasadena. When Michael and his friends recruit her, she is self-absorbed, bitter, and resentful, caring only about revenge on Hatch and the other people who had wronged her. By working with the Electroclan, though, she gradually becomes less cynical and grows more closely aligned with their goals. This camaraderie is exemplified in the scene where she is about to torture Hatch's loyal Glows but Michael convinces her not to by saying, "We're not like them." His inclusion of Nichelle in "We" gives her a sense of family that she's never had, redeeming aspects of her character that appeared irredeemable.

How does the realization of Jade Dragon's genius affect Ostin?

At first, Ostin feels humiliated and almost worthless. He puts a lot of his identity in being brilliant and remembering things that no one else can. When he hears of a nine-year-old girl who is undeniably smarter than him, he gets hit with a wave of self-doubt. Once he gets past that, though (and realizes that Jade Dragon is a savant), the experience is a positive one. Being humbled, Ostin has to find his worth in something beyond his intellect. Although this transformation isn't emphasized in the novel, it's still one that shows Ostin's developing maturity.