Keyword Guide · study-guide
This guide offers clear, concise chapter summaries for Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Use it to review plot, track character growth, and prepare for discussions, quizzes, and essays.
The novel opens in a future where death has been conquered, and population control is managed by Scythes. Teenagers Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch are chosen as apprentices after a chance encounter with Scythe Faraday. They enter a demanding training period, learning Scythe ethics, history, and the emotional cost of gleaning. Early chapters establish the moral tension between compassion and duty.
As training intensifies, Citra and Rowan study under different mentors with contrasting philosophies. Rowan is pushed toward efficiency and emotional distance, while Citra is taught to value mercy. Political conflicts within the Scythedom emerge, especially between traditionalists and those who seek power. The apprentices begin to question whether the system truly serves humanity.
The apprentices face a high-stakes conclave where only one can earn full Scythehood. Personal loyalty clashes with institutional rules, and several Scythes reveal corruption or ambition. Rowan and Citra are forced to confront what they believe a Scythe should be, even when the rules appear unjust.
The final chapters resolve the apprenticeship with irreversible outcomes. Characters take decisive actions that challenge the authority of the Scythedom. The ending sets up long-term conflicts about power, morality, and resistance, leading directly into the sequel while closing the core arc of choice and identity.
They cover major plot points and character arcs. For detailed quizzes, review character motivations and key ethical conflicts alongside these summaries.
Focus on morality, power, free will, and how societies justify control. These themes appear repeatedly across the chapters.
Use summaries to track character development and locate moments where themes change or intensify. Then analyze why those shifts matter.
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