Gone By Michael Grant: Literary Analysis

“Freedom is not possible without authority - otherwise it would turn into chaos and authority is not possible without freedom - otherwise it would turn into tyranny.” - Stefan Zweig… The author of Gone, Michael Grant, uses a unique setting to establish chaos and insecurity. A world where all adults disappear and kids are isolated from reality and the whole world. One universal idea that this book represents is that When people no longer feel safe and secure they will give their freedom to anyone who can establish Authority or Control.

Throughout the beginning part of the book, the kids in Gone were very clueless and most were looking for someone who can make them feel safe and Hopeful. adding on, On page 37, The Plaza bursts into flames because many kids were in chaos and fear took hold of them. Sam Temple was the one who stepped up and stopped the fire and saved many kids. The children
His name was Caine and he tries to get control of the situation and use it for his good. He was not honest when the crowd of kids in Perdido Beach were listening to him. Instead he said what they wanted to hear. He said on Page 147. “We need each other..our goal is to maintain and prevent damages.” Most of the crowd personally knew that was somewhat close to impossible, but still applauded and cheered for Caine. They were willing to give up their freedom for a sense of Authority, whether it was real or fake. The kids just wanted to be safe and secure. That’s why they followed Caine, he made them feel safe. Unlike Sam who was honest with the crowd of lost kids.

To sum it all up, the kids trapped in the unique setting of Gone look for someone to make them feel safe because of their sudden insecurity and chaos that the setting causes. That too is what's most likely to happen in a situation of insecurity, danger, and chaos. Civilians will be willing to give up their freedom for a sense of control or security to make them feel