End of Watch

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

End of Watch

The End of Watch motif relates to the theme of Death and Mortality. The term refers to a number of things in the story. It is the term usually applied to the end of each officer’s daily shift. Here, it is also used to refer to retirement, when an officer who has dedicated his life to service lays down his arms and his duty and enters a new phase of life. It first comes up in reference to Pete’s retirement.

In Hodges’s case, End of Watch refers to end of a life spent in service. When Hodges first retired, he was unable to lay down his role as a “Knight of the Badge and Gun” (21). He felt that his life’s work wasn’t completed, and he didn’t know who he was without that life’s work. Eventually, he found closure by catching Brady and was able to let go of his old life. His new stage of life was one of teaching a new generation—Holly and to a lesser extent Jerome.

Stopping Brady for good this time is Hodges’s last task. It marks the end of his life’s work. Now that his students are ready to take up the fight, Hodges is now called upon to lay down his arms and move on to the final stage of life, which is letting go—the End of the Final Watch.

The Hazards of Technology

The motif of mind-control through technology supports the theme of Social Contagion and Identity. Brady capitalizes on the mind-altering effects of video games and television programs. Both have been known to produce a hypnotic effect or even seizures through flashing or moving lights. Video games also produce a hypnotic effect by giving users small successes at intervals. Each success gives the user a small dopamine reward, and the user keeps playing, always chasing that next jolt of dopamine. The effect is similar to addiction and can become strong enough to interfere with the player’s job and relationships.

As our environment becomes ever more technologically driven, things like the internet and our handheld devices are leaving the realm of science-fiction and becoming commonplace weapons in mainstream fiction. Brady’s ability to program his website and hack the Zappits to control minds is no longer science-fiction, and it isn’t clear how our species will cope with tools designed to play on the vulnerabilities of our own brains.

Letter “Z”

The letter “Z” symbolizes Brady’s arrogance, which will ultimately contribute to his undoing. Brady is inspired by the first Zappit (Zappit zero) to identify with the letter Z. He uses Z as a signature, giving a clue to all his activities while believing it can never be traced back to him. He craves attention, and while he doesn’t actually want to be caught, he can’t resist a taunt. Holly makes the first connection by pointing out that Zorro always left a letter Z at the scene of his activities. Pete, Isabelle, and even Hodges dismiss her observation as nonsense, but Holly has actually picked up on a crucial point; Brady is indeed signing his name to his crimes.

In addition to leaving the letter Z at each crime’s scene, Brady puts his imprint on Al (Library Al) Brooks and Dr. Babineau. When Brady takes over their minds, he implants secondary personalities, which he calls Z-Boy and Dr. Z, respectively. Brady underestimates his adversaries. The letter Z may be too obscure for less agile minds like Isabelle and Pete, but it eventually leads Hodges and Holly to him.