An Analysis of Adam in Shatter Me
*SPOILER WARNING*
At my place in the book, Adam and Juliette have just escaped out of Juliette's window to the old nuclear power plant, and are in the tank that Adam hid in the shed. To rewind all the way back to the first encounter they have in the book (in the asylum), we learn that Adam requested to be sent on the mission with Juliette. After Warner asked Juliette if she knew why Adam was chosen he states, "'He volunteered,'" (Mafi 132). A few chapters later, Adam explains, "'I knew it was you. It had to be. I asked Warner if I could help with the project- I told him I'd gone to school with you, that I'd heard about the little boy, that I'd seen you in person.' ... 'And I knew that if he wanted to claim you as some kind of sick project- I just knew I had to do something'" (Mafi 155). This idea that Adam volunteered to be a part of the mission to "save" Juliette has made me suspicious of Adam. It just seems odd that Adam was a part of the army before he knew about Juliette's mission, already had a tank ready to go, and said his reasoning for leaving was because he loved Juliette.
Why did he join the army in the first place if he finds it to be "sick"? This is partly what leads me to believe in the point that Warner says, "'He just wants a way out of here and he's using you!'' (Mafi 178). If Adam was a part of the army before Juliette, that means he chose to join at some point, but made it clear that he didn't agree with their ideas before he had even met Juliette. This leads me to believe that Adam may have been looking for a way out of the army before he was reunited with Juliette. Another key component that supports this theory is that of the tank. After Adam leads Juliette inside the shed at the nuclear power plant, she sees, "There's a car inside. I blink. Not just a car. A tank." Adam responds, "'I convinced Warner I'd managed to break one of the tanks I brought up here. These things are designed to run on electricity- so I told him the main unit fried on contact with the chemical traces'" (Mafi 193-194). This would mean that Adam took possession of the tank likely before he knew about Juliette. He says that the reason he was in the power plant to get the soil samples was because Warner wanted to study Juliette. Some would say that this implies that Adam already knew about his role with Juliette and that they would escape together. I contradict that point though, by saying that I think Adam had been planning his escape long before Juliette came into the picture. I don't think that he would steal this "500-thousand-dollar tank" for the hope that Juliette would come with him (Mafi 194). I think that his tank is yet another representation of Adam plotting his escape and Juliette simply opening the door for him.
Thirdly, one of the main reasons that I am suspect to trusting Adam is the psychology behind him and Juliette's relationship. Right before Juliette and Adam escape, Adam claims that he loves her, "'I love you'" (Mafi 180). This confession seems so out of place to me for many reasons. One, the circumstances he says this under. In this scene, Warner is desperately trying to convince Juliette that he could treat her better and that Adam doesn't have good intentions. Right before Adam says this, Warner says, "Please. Please. Don't tell me he's filled your head with romantic notions. Please don't tell me you fell for his false proclamations'" (Mafi 180). If my theory that Adam longed for escape is correct, it would make sense that he would blurt out his love in a time of pressure here to guarantee his freedom. Secondly, he really doesn't know Juliette all that well. They have only been reunited for a matter of weeks and in their childhood memories, he never spoke to her. While I think that he did have something to go off of, "'I saw you do things like that a million times'", it just doesn't feel like enough for him to go on a hunt to find her and confess that he had loved her for all those years (Mafi 151). What does make sense though, is my third point: Juliette is in an extremely vulnerable position. Her own parents gave her up to the asylum, and she hasn't been touched in almost a year, and here was Adam ready to accept her and touch her. To tie it all together, Juliette had been in love with Adam since third grade. With all of these things in mind, she would easily believe that Adam loved her, in a heartbeat. Due to these three reasons: the pressure Adam was under by Warner, the absence of time in their relationship, and Juliette's vulnerability, I find it hard to believe that Adam truly loved her in the moment he claimed so. Therefore, his reasoning for his escape isn't adding up.
In conclusion, I hesitate to trust Adam moving forward in the book because of his prior commitment to the army, his preplanned escape channel, and his unconvincing portrayal of his love to Juliette. This being said, I do not what his intentions actually are. Does he plan to use Juliette to escape and then ditch her? Did he end up actually falling in love with her? Is this all somehow part of an even bigger plan? Am I completely wrong and Adam truly does have the best intentions with Juliette? I'm not sure, but I am excited to continue reading and find out. Also, for those who have read the book I also am very curious to see how the "white bird with streaks of gold like a crown atop its head" tattoo plays out as an additional mysterious component (Mafi 116).
- Julia Smith
Works Cited
Mafi, Tahereh. Shatter Me. New York, HarperCollins Publishers, 2018.
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