Theme - There is always hope, no matter what
John discovering one of his legacies
One of the themes I think the author wants readers to take away from the story is to always have hope. The author portrayed this message in many ways throughout the story. One way the author does this is by using John's dire situation on earth. John is one of the last of his kind, his planet has been destroyed, and an alien race wants him dead. Yet there is still hope for survival. No matter how bad things get the characters always have hope. Another way the author shows that there is always hope is in the battle scene at the school. John and his friends are sorely out numbered and will most likely be killed. John hangs on to the smallest sliver of hope even though his friends have all given up. With John's hope he and his friends are able to survive and live to see another day. The last way the author shows this is through character quotes. The following quote was said by Henri and it does a great job at portraying the theme, “When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope” (Pittacus Lore pg. 124). The author uses Johns conflicts and character quotes to show that there is always hope, no matter what.
Theme - Don't judge a book by its cover
Mark and John trying to stay hidden
Another theme I think the author wants the reader to take away from the story is not to judge a book by its cover. The author portrays this message throughout the story in a variety of ways. One way the author does this is through the character Mark. In the beginning of the book Mark, the school jock, teases John. John immediately assumes Mark is the stuck up, school bully, he thinks he owns the school. At the end of the story Mark is John's friend and they end up fighting side by side for survival. John never thought that if he talked to Mark they could be friends. He just assumed Mark was a rude kid that bullied everyone. Also, the author made John an alien to better portray this theme. Everyone on earth thinks aliens are scary, evil, deadly creatures that don't care about mankind. Instead John is very much human and he does care a lot about his friends. The last way the author portrays this theme is through quotes. The following quote was said by John. It refers to how the outside isn't what you should judge, but instead you should judge the inside “A place is only as good as the people you know in it. It's the people that make the place.” Don't judge a book by its cover is a great moral that the author wants you to take way from this story.