Matched- Book Response

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Year of Publication: 1945
Number of Pages: 366
AR Points: 13

I. Plot Summary- Cassia lives in a society where everything is decided for her. She believes that the society is perfect, and that they would never harm anyone. When she is matched with Xavier, she falls in love with Ky, which is pretty much illegal for her to do. After Ky is booted out of Oria to go to war, Cassia is destined to find him. Her family is moved to an Outer Province to farm, so she is sent on work leave for three months. Cassia then has the bright idea to somehow escape and find her true love.
II. Literary Elements-
A. Narrator- First Person “I can’t wait.” p. 4
B. Protagonist- Cassia is a seventeen year old girl who is just recently matched with the guy who she will spend the rest of her life with. Fortunately, her match, Xavier, is from the same society and is her best friend. “This is a dream.” p. 15
C. Antagonist- The society is very controlling and tells people how they have to run their lives. They don’t get a choice as to who they love, where they work, and when they day. The society will do anything to get their people to believe that they are good and not the enemy. “I know about the poison in the food for people like Grandfather.” p. 340
D. Setting- This book takes place in a society in the Oria Province in Mapletree Borough. Everything is known to be perfect and nothing bad will happen to anyone. At first, the mood is reassuring because you know that the people will be safe, but then you figure out that the society isn’t who they say they are. It then makes you wonder what is going to happen. “Without the trees and without the name, Mapletree Borough is gone.” p. 359
E. Conflict- Cassia and Ky are now trying to go against what the society tells them to do. This is said to be man v. society. “The Official sees the twist of my lips and launches into a list of examples, of ways I’ve broken with the Society’s rules in the past two months...” p. 341
F. Theme- Importance of freedom is one major factor. In this utopian or ‘perfect’ society, the government has destroyed basic rights and has also taken free will from its people. “...and then the nutrition personnel, with all of Grandfather’s deserts...” p. 78
G. Historical Context- This book shows me the difference between the society we live in today and a utopian society. Today, we actually get to make our own rational decisions. In a utopian society, everything is ‘perfect’ and pretty much already decided for you, even whom you will marry! “I watch and wait, determined that the girl my Match will see on the screen in his City Hall somehwhere out there in Society will be poised and calm and lovely, the very best image of Cassia Maria Reyes that I can present.”
III. Reflection- Overall, I think this book was alright, but definitely not my most favorite I’ve ever read. It moves kind of slowly and gives almost too much detail. There were some parts in it where I thought to myself, “Come on. Get on with it already!” If this book was made into a movie, I think it would probably be a better movie than book, but then again maybe not. There would need to be more action in the movie. In this utopian society, they pretty much do the same things over and over each day.