I chose these quotes because I believe they aren't just relevant for the book itself, but for our society in general. Most of these are about things you can find in an everyday life, not to mention, things most of us actually can relate to. So, here it goes...
“If you hate someone, you take the consequences.”
I picked this quote, because I believe it’s always relevant, no matter the situation. Considering the book is about a fight to the death, hating someone will only increase the risk of you getting killed or stabbed in the back. The same goes for our everyday life. If you end up in a situation where you need help or support, the person you hate will probably be the last to be there for you. Therefore I think this quote shows how hatred only leads to negativity and in a worst case scenario, as in the book, your own death.
“Even if you think something’s wrong, your life is too precious to risk by protesting, right?"
This quote is from a conversation between three students about the country and the way it works. They talk about how hard it is to change a system, especially when it seems to work for the masses, and why the people hasn’t done something to overthrow it. Shogo thinks it’s because most people are too afraid to do anything, as long as their life is on the line. As long as it doesn’t affect you, why take the risk? That’s how the government has become so strong; they’ve taken advantage of the fears and worries of the people and then used it to keep them in check. Often, something needs to happen before people are willing to take that risk; something that motivates them. Though, until then, there aren’t a lot of us that’s willing to go up against the system.
“Some of you might be thinking that murdering your classmates is impossible. But don’t forget there are others willing to do it.”
“The fact was that Yoshio simply did not want to die. He was petrified by any of his classmates who’d bare their teeth at him. Just think about it, you’re surrounded by a swarm of assassins.”
These two quotes pretty much go together. I chose them to show how easily we can change during a pressured situation. In this case, many of the students choose to play the game to save their own life. The first quote shows how different we are. You might be thinking that no one will do you any harm and therefore, you won’t fight. But the truth is, you can never know, especially not under circumstances like these. For example; Yoshio’s fear of being killed by a classmate is enough for him to become an assassin himself and he is one of the first students to kill someone. Fear, especially the fear for our own life, is often the primary reason as to why people turn on each other. Fear turns a person into a selfish machine that is willing to do anything for their own survival. In this book, that’s how a lot of the students become willing to kill their own classmates. Though, how brutal it may sound, I believe that it’s not very far from the truth of how it would be if something similar ever happened to us.
“First of all, you’ve hardly slept. I know. When I got up in the middle of the night, you were up. Doesn’t that mean you don’t trust us? That’s proof right there.”
This quote is from a scene where a group of close friends, suddenly turn on each other after a misunderstanding. I believe it shows how hard it is to trust anyone during a pressured situation. Even though you might be really close, in a situation like this, I think that anything can arouse suspicion. Also, the ones you trust the most are the ones who has the best chance of stabbing you in the back and I think that’s something that, at some point, crosses most people’s mind in a scenario like this. And as soon as thought has hit you once, I don’t think you’ll ever be able to forget it completely and that’s why anything and everything could be a reason to throw away that trust. In the book there are a lot of people dying because they trusted someone they shouldn’t have and at the same time, a lot of people died because they didn’t trust someone. It’s a vicious circle and when it comes down to it, I think all you can do is to listen to your intuition and your instincts.
“You think dying gives you the right to do anything?”
This quote is from a girl who’s been cornered by one of the boys and when he starts talking about raping her because it might be their last chance, she asks him this. It think it shows how a lot of people act under certain circumstances; war, poverty, catastrophes etc. The moral standards and ethics changes and people start living above the laws. It’s as if it becomes some sort of reward for putting your life on the line; “Since I’m risking my life, I should be allowed to do whatever I want.” People take advantage of each other by tricks and lies, to get what they want or need. If there are no rules, make your own.
//Johanna
