The Attack on Todd’s Sense of Home

The Knife of Never Letting Go

The violence of the army forces Todd to confront familiar townsmen as participants in a system he had not known existed.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Familiar Men in Formation Familiar Men in Formation from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Familiar Men in Formation Recognition in the ranks Todd sees shopkeepers, doctors, farmers, and other familiar Prentisstown men marching with weapons.

Familiar Men in Formation from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Familiar Men in Formation Recognition in the ranks Todd sees shopkeepers, doctors, farmers, and other familiar Prentisstown men marching with weapons.

Familiar Men in Formation Recognition in the ranks Todd sees shopkeepers, doctors, farmers, and other familiar Prentisstown men marching with weapons. Their participation contradicts his assumption that only a small circle of villains causes harm. Ordinary lives made violent The army’s power rests on ordinary men acting together under the Mayor. Todd must face how common people can be organized into cruelty without each appearing monstrous in isolation.

The Mayor’s Calm The Mayor’s Calm from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". The Mayor’s Calm Authority without exertion Mayor Prentiss rides into the attack as if observing an ordinary event, while other men do the shooting and…

The Mayor’s Calm from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". The Mayor’s Calm Authority without exertion Mayor Prentiss rides into the attack as if observing an ordinary event, while other men do the shooting and…

The Mayor’s Calm Authority without exertion Mayor Prentiss rides into the attack as if observing an ordinary event, while other men do the shooting and pursuit. His calm makes his command more frightening than open rage. Power through organization Todd sees that the Mayor’s influence is not merely personal violence. He has made a system in which men carry out the work of expansion for him.

The Refugees’ Flight The Refugees’ Flight from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". The Refugees’ Flight Communities abandon the road Reports of the army prompt travelers to pack belongings and move toward Haven.

The Refugees’ Flight from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". The Refugees’ Flight Communities abandon the road Reports of the army prompt travelers to pack belongings and move toward Haven.

The Refugees’ Flight Communities abandon the road Reports of the army prompt travelers to pack belongings and move toward Haven. Their carts turn the river route into a current of people escaping the same threat. A changing map Todd sees that the conflict affects far more than the town he fled. Each new community must decide whether to fight, flee, or risk believing the warning.

Carbonel Downs Divided Carbonel Downs Divided from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Carbonel Downs Divided Suspicion against urgency Some elders view Ben as an enemy and suspect Todd and Viola of guiding the army.

Carbonel Downs Divided from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Carbonel Downs Divided Suspicion against urgency Some elders view Ben as an enemy and suspect Todd and Viola of guiding the army.

Carbonel Downs Divided Suspicion against urgency Some elders view Ben as an enemy and suspect Todd and Viola of guiding the army. Others, including Doctor Snow, weigh the evidence and the approaching danger. A choice forced by events The advance party’s arrival prevents the council from resolving the moral dispute on its own terms. The crisis briefly displaces prejudice, but the town still faces the consequences of the army’s approach.

The Surrender of Haven The Surrender of Haven from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". The Surrender of Haven Conquest without a siege Mayor Prentiss uses the threat of the army and favorable surrender terms to empty Haven’s streets.

The Surrender of Haven from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". The Surrender of Haven Conquest without a siege Mayor Prentiss uses the threat of the army and favorable surrender terms to empty Haven’s streets.

The Surrender of Haven Conquest without a siege Mayor Prentiss uses the threat of the army and favorable surrender terms to empty Haven’s streets. He arrives with a small mounted group before the main force. A ruler claims a capital The Mayor renames himself President and welcomes Todd to New Prentisstown. The conquest turns the destination into the center of the next struggle.

During the fall of Farbranch

As the army enters Farbranch

After the destruction of Farbranch

When the elders confront Ben

As Todd arrives at Haven