We Are the Ants

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-12

Chapters 13-24

Chapters 25-40

Chapters 41-48

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

The Red Button

The red button is presented to Henry as a decision. Henry can press the button and save Earth from destruction, or he can refuse to press the button and participate in the annihilation of the human race. The red button is a literal button in Henry’s abductions, but it is also a symbol of Henry’s need to find a reason to live. The red button symbolizes all of Henry’s internal conflicts with his own life. Because Henry is lonely, isolated, and depressed, he doesn’t see human life as valuable. The decision to press the red button is actually the activation of Henry’s character development that propels his journey to self-discovery and coming of age. The red button issue differentiates Henry from other people who, despite their own experiences with pain, have no doubts about saving Earth. When Henry finally decides to press the button, it is a decision that is symbolic of Henry’s newfound sense of self and his discovery that human life is valuable.

Stars

Stars are used throughout the novel as a symbol of impermanence. The stars humans see from Earth are the reverberations of a light about to be extinguished. This perspective emphasizes the vastness of the universe in comparison with the limitations of the human experience. Just as stars die and burn out, so too does human life burn out. But like stars seen well past their death, the memory of human life burns bright. Hutchinson uses this symbol as a parallel with Jesse’s death. Though Jesse is dead, his memory remains significant for his family and friends. Eventually Jesse’s memory will indeed die when his loved ones die, but this is the circle of life and the universe. Stars remind humans of their relative smallness, symbolic of all that is unknown in lived experience.

Aliens

The aliens in this novel are symbols of the importance of human connection and of the unknown. Henry calls his alien abductors “sluggers” because of their slug-like appearance. They operate at a level far beyond human capacity, highlighting the limitations of the human experience despite the human propensity toward ego and superiority. The question of extraterrestrial life fascinates and scares humans because it reminds us that we are not alone in the universe and that there are certain forms of knowledge we have not, and maybe will never, attain. This makes people feel small and insecure. Thus, the sluggers are threats to human existence, which is part of why people on Earth don’t believe Henry when he tells them about his abductions. But these sluggers are also symbolic because they encourage Henry to contemplate the value of human life by giving him the responsibility of deciding if Earth should continue to exist. The aliens represent a silent secondary character who inadvertently encourage Henry to consider the importance of community.