After The First Death

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1979

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

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Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

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Character Analysis

Themes

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Themes

Death Doesn’t Discriminate

Many characters die throughout After the First Death. The book’s title suggests one death with others to follow, showing how death is a domino effect. The titular death is supposed to be the bus driver, but instead, it is one of the children on the bus as a result of the hijacker’s tranquilizers. Both this death and the death of one of the hijackers at the hands of a sniper are accidental, but Cormier indicates that unintended deaths are inevitable in fraught, violent situations. Other deaths that occur indirectly as a result of the hijacking include Ben’s death by suicide and the possible death of the general at the end of the novel.

Following the accidental death of the hijacker, it is expected, but disturbing, when Artkin kills the second child, Raymond, showing how death is a bargaining chip in this conflict. Cormier intentionally develops an emotional connection between Raymond and Kate and introduces Raymond’s perspective so that the reader will recognize the senselessness and harsh reality of Raymond’s death (a representative of a total innocent). Death comes to both children and adults and to those on either side of the conflict. It does not favor the “bad guys” or those who might deserve to die for their actions. Likewise, Cormier causes the reader to question if either faction is good, with the general intentionally putting his son in harm’s way.

Tellingly, the comparably innocent Ben dies while his foil, Miro, escapes with blood on his hands. Arguably, Miro’s decision to deny his emotions is what saves him, while Ben’s inability to do so leads to his death by suicide. This speaks again to the senselessness and amoral nature of death.

Though Kate and Ben’s deaths occur away from the bridge and initial major conflict, their deaths and those of the hijackers, children, and Inner Delta operatives spread the loss of life over a wide range. No group is spared, not even those who live past the hijacking event.

Beliefs Have Power

After the First Death brings people with vastly different beliefs together. Whether it is in a cause or in one’s self, beliefs allow the characters to follow through with actions both heroic and villainous. Belief also lets characters justify their actions. They can point to their beliefs as proof their actions have meaning, even if those actions harm others. The hijackers believe their demands are critical, and they believe hijacking the bus is the best path toward getting what they want. Ultimately, Artkin, Miro, and the others fight to return to their homeland, something they believe they deeply want. In their minds, their home is a beautiful place that has been stolen from them. They have never seen it or been there, but their belief is strong enough for them to hurt others to further their cause.

Conversely, personal belief allows the characters to take action when they normally wouldn’t. Kate has never thought of herself as brave before the bus, but with children to protect, and her own life in the balance, she begins to believe in herself. She convinces herself she can do the impossible to save the bus. The strength in her belief lets her get close to Miro, even though his actions terrify her. She wants to sway him to her side so he will help the children, and out of desperation, she believes she can. She also believes she can drive the bus to safety. Fear of what may happen builds her belief. She wants to find a solution badly enough that she finds any strength and skill she needs to do so.

Beliefs can also tear us apart. At the beginning of the book, Miro believes in his cause. He is sure success with the bus incident will bring him one step closer to his homeland, even though he has no proof the place exists as he understands it. Kate challenges these beliefs, asking him why he thinks the hijacking will bring him closer to home. When he doesn’t have an answer, Miro’s beliefs start to wane. He doesn’t have answers, and he doesn’t know how to find them. At the end of the book, Kate tries to convince Miro that Artkin is his father in an attempt to save her own life. Miro can’t handle the idea. It unhinges him. His entire life has been about believing what he is told, no questions asked. Kate’s questions finally prove to be more than he can rationalize away. He can’t change how he thinks, and instead returns to his mindset before the bus incident. He so badly wants to believe in what he was taught that any interruption to those beliefs hurts his mind.

There Are Two Sides to Every Confrontation

At the surface, the idea of two sides to every confrontation is clear. At least two opposing forces are needed in order for there to be a disagreement and a conflict. After the First Death takes this concept a step farther to show how people view both each other and themselves in different ways. Confrontations may take place between two internal or external opposing forces, but regardless, the outcome is the same: Different views of the same person or group form.

The hijackers and Inner Delta symbolize this idea on a large scale. The hijackers view Inner Delta as the roadblock to their goals, and to Inner Delta, the hijackers are terrorists. Each group views the others in terms of the outward actions they take. The individual groups, however, have very different internal views of themselves. The hijackers see themselves as people who have had their home taken and who will stop at nothing to get it back. Rather than terrorists, they call themselves freedom fighters because they fight for the freedom of their home. While Inner Delta is a barrier to the hijackers, those who work in Inner Delta view the organization as one of justice with operatives across the world helping to free those in need. Each group means something different to its members than it does to the opposing force.

Kate and Miro’s relationship follows a similar model. Kate views herself as an average American teenage girl. She goes to school, works, flirts with boys, and does her best to live her life. To her, these are normal things to feel and do. For Miro, Kate’s existence seems shallow and without purpose. He sees her as a replaceable American girl with frivolous desires that can’t possibly compare to his fight for freedom and his home. He believes his drive is necessary and sees nothing wrong with a lack of emotions. By contrast, Kate can’t comprehend how Miro doesn’t feel anything. She watches him take orders that she finds appalling but that he carries out without a flinch. Each tries and fails to understand the other. Like the confrontation between the hijackers and Inner Delta, this is partly due to a conflict of views. Kate and Miro were taught to understand the world in different ways. There is also a cultural divide. Miro views Kate as forward because of how she dresses and acts differently than women in his culture. In reality, Kate is likely little different from girls of different cultures, but these types of divides accentuate differences, which cause disagreements and conflict.