City of Ember Book Project

City of Ember Book Project

Resolution

Rising Action

Lina and Doon opened up the book that they had found earlier while they were eating dinner, and read some journal entries written by a Builder. Reading this, they finally understood their city's situation and the fact that their people must come up to the ground somehow. The Builders had built Ember for them, when mankind was ending and they had decided that they would populate a city deep underground.They sent a message down a chasm, where it landed at the feet of a fellow neighbor, Ms. Murdo. She bent down to open it, curiosity striking her.

Exposition

Falling Action

Climax

After all the commotion over the issue of running out of supplies, the people were angry and upset that the mayor kept lying about having a "solution." The Supply Depot had to reject customers' requests for even basic items such as silverware, or toilet paper. Then, Lina's grandmother and her baby sister, Poppy, found an ornate box with old papers. It was written in small, perfect printing, and she saw that it was instructions for something. Sadly, the papers had been chewed on by Poppy before Lina could get a hand on it. After she glued it together with the remaining glue she had left, Lina ran to several people asking if they knew anything about the instructions and what it meant. Finally, she ran to Doon questioning him about anything he could possibly understand from the bits of words left. They figured out together that it would most likely be instructions to a way out of the city, where there would be more supplies and help.

After eating dinner, they squeezed pass the rocks at the entrance to the path and saw a framed sign. It said that the climb up a mountain would be their last stage of their journey and it was written by the Builders. As they continued on climbing for hours, they took turns carrying Poppy and resting. Lina and Doon finally reached the top, where they were met with a soft gush of wind and a bright light. They saw green everywhere, and they tried a red fruit that a creature had eaten in front of them.

In the beginning, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow lived in a city underground that was created by the Builders. However, the people of Ember believed that their city was actually above the ground, and that the pipeworks were underground. It was now running out of electricity, important supplies, food, and the city was falling apart from the lack of necessities. Also, Lina and Doon switched jobs to become Messenger and Pipeworks laborer. The city of Ember was in terrible shape, and everyone was sick with worry.

The climax occurred when Lina and Doon found out that the mayor had been storing boxes full of supplies in a secret treasure room hidden underground. It was located in Tunnel 351, and they saw him shoving mouthfuls of food into his mouth sitting on a couch, in a brightly lit room. They were astonished, and realized that the "solution" the mayor had been talking about was a solution only for him, and not for the people. They reported it to the guards, but they were also getting some benefit for keeping the crime a secret. Lina and Doon finally have to come to the decision to leave on their own with Poppy to escape from the doom of the city and the Prison Room. They went on a boat by themselves on the fast river, which led them ashore.

Character Analysis

Lina Mayfleet: Lina is a twelve year old girl and a fast runner, who takes a job as Messenger after trading jobs with Doon who wants to be a Pipework laborer. She is one of the two protagonists of the story. She cares a lot for her baby sister, Poppy, and becomes an orphan when her grandmother passes away from a fever. Her parents are dead, and she stays at a neighbor's place. She shows that she is an honest and kind person when she rejects her friend Lizzie's offer for rare food cans in trade of keeping the stolen food a secret. She finds a box with instructions, leading her and Doon to finding an exit from Ember and the selfish mayor.

Doon Harrow: Doon is a curious and observant boy, who takes a job as Pipeworks laborer after trading jobs with Lina. They meet again later when Lina comes to ask him for help on some papers with instructions on it. He also has issues with anger management, crushing a bug and hitting his father with a shoe heel when he was upset. Together, he and Lina find an exit from Ember and the upcoming doom. He is the second protagonist of the story.

Poppy Mayfleet: Poppy is Lina's baby sister and only relative left. She finds the box with instructions for an exit from Ember, but chews it up, leaving Lina with unclear orders. She comes along with Lina and Doon on their journey because Lina loved her too much to not take her along.

Mayor: The mayor is a selfish and evil person, who assures the people of Ember that he has a "solution" for the issue over the lack of supplies and electricity. He lies through his teeth, and meanwhile secretly keeps a room filled with food, supplies, and light bulbs from the ceiling to the ground. He keeps his secret safe with his guards, until Doon finds out about his selfishness. The mayor is the antagonist of the story.

Summary

Theme

The theme of The City of Ember is about friendship and curiosity. Without the bonding from their friendship, Lina and Doon would have never made it out of Ember. They needed each other's help, and it showed when Doon came to warn her about the guards trying to locate them. He was risking his own life, when he could have hidden somewhere else during that time. The other theme is about curiosity. Without curiosity, they would have never found out about the exit of Ember. Even if Lina had found the instructions, if she did not have any curiosity for it, like her mentor Captain Fleery, then she would not have investigated more into it. Lina wouldn't have asked anybody, and then Doon would have never known about any exit. In addition, another theme could be about love. Lina's love for Poppy had made her make the decision to take Poppy along with her, even if it was riskier for all of them.

When Lina and Doon notice the power outages are more frequent and the lights are flickering more often, they get worried of the future of Ember and the people. Ember was running out of food, important supplies, and light bulbs needed for the success of the city. Lina finds a box with instructions for a way out of Ember, and meanwhile, Doon finds out that the mayor has been keeping secrets and supplies from the people. The mayor has a secret storage room filled with food and other necessities all for himself, while the people went hungry. Through their jobs as Messenger and Pipeworks laborer and their curiosity, they unlock secrets to leave Ember and find a way to help their people out of the desperate situation.