City of Ember: Conflict - Essay

In the book “The City of Ember” by Jeanne DuPrau, Doon and Lina are caught in a dystopian world where upon completing school, they are assigned their jobs for at least the next three months, and the sun is replaced by streetlights. Supplies are running low in the city, and not just any supplies, all of them, including the most vital; light bulbs. As if that wasn’t enough, quite a few of those items are being stolen and stashed by the corrupt mayor.

            But things seem to be looking up when Lina finds an old box of a type no one in the city has ever seen before, filled with a form of instructions, instructions for egress¹ to be specific. However, Lina’s little sister Poppy has chewed up the instructions, making them nearly impossible to read. Doon and Lina eventually figure out enough to find the mayor’s storeroom, but when they report it to the guard; the city’s police system, instead of arresting the mayor, they become corrupt and receive some of the stashed items in return for them keeping his deception a secret.

            From this point, Doon and Lina have two choices. The first option is to reveal the mayor to the entire city of Ember and recover the supplies, therefore allowing the city to thrive for a little longer, but they would also have to fix the electricity, which no one even know how it works. Although they could figure it out, I doubt they’d do it in time.

            The second option is to decipher the instructions and find the way out of the city. This is the most likely option, as after their report of the mayor’s deception to the guard, they were ordered to be put under arrest for “spreading vicious rumors”. And now, as outlaws on the run, with information that no one would believe, It’s up to them to save the city.

            With all these problems, and every solution leading to more problems, Doon and Lina are backed against a wall. They have the means to save the city, but will they figure it out in time? There seems to be now way out, with every potential exit ending with a dead end. Will they save the city and be forever remembered as heroes? Or will they be captured or die, and be remembered as outlaws until the city collapses? We may never know.