I Am Number Four

“In the beginning we were a group of nine. Three are gone, dead. There are six of us left. They are hunting us, and they won’t stop until they’ve killed us all. I am Number Four. I know that I am next.” 

The narrative perspective changes to first person in Chapter 1 and remains that way for the rest of the novel. By shifting to Four’s first-person perspective, the authors allow readers to understand more closely what is at stake. The short structure of the sentences also creates a suspenseful dramatic effect.

“It’s not that I’m necessarily sad to leave Florida, but I’m tired of running. I’m tired of dreaming up a new name every six months. Tired of new houses, new schools. I wonder if it’ll ever be possible for us to stop.” 

The novel consists of both one major external conflict and one internal conflict. The external conflict is the threat that the Mogadorians will catch up to Four and Henri, whereas the internal conflict is the conflict Four has with himself, as seen in this quote. Although his life is in constant danger, Four is still a teenager who has never been able to simply be a teenager.

“Because this isn’t about you. This is about the survival of our race, which was almost entirely obliterated, and about keeping you alive. Every time one of us dies—every time one of you, the Garde, dies—our chances diminish. You’re Number Four; you’re next in line. You have an entire race of vicious murderers hunting you. We’re leaving at the first sign of trouble, and I’m not going to debate it with you.” 

These lines serve a dual purpose in that even though he is speaking directly to Four, Henri is also explaining important plot points to make sure readers are kept aware of the major conflict. This quote also shows early hints of the tension that will brew between Four and Henri throughout the novel.

“She asks me my name and I tell her, though I am tempted, as I always am, to just say ‘Four.’” 

Four is forced to change his identity, name included, every time he moves. He has never been able to show his true self to anyone, not even by name. Names are an important symbol for identity in the novel, and Four not being able to use his Loric name symbolizes Four’s inability to forge his own identity.

“On Lorien there were two types of citizens, those who develop Legacies, or powers, which can be extremely varied, anything from invisibility to the ability to read minds, from being able to fly to using natural forces like fire, wind or lightning. Those with the Legacies are called the Garde, and those without are called Cêpan, or Keepers.” 

These lines explain an important aspect of the novel’s lore, which are the supernatural abilities that make up the Garde, as well as the relationship between the Garde and their Cêpan. Each serves a vital role on Lorien, even if only one of them has supernatural abilities. 

“As I feel the scars I try to imagine who they were, whether they were boys or girls, where they were living, how old they were when they died. I try to remember the other kids on the ship with me and give each of them numbers. I think about what it would be like to meet them, hang out with them. What it might have been like if we were still on Lorien. What it might be like if the fate of our entire race wasn’t dependent on the survival of so few of us. What it might be like if we weren’t all facing death at the hands of our enemies.” 

Four’s thoughts here show the true depth of his solitude. The only other people on this planet who could understand what he is going through are either dead or hidden for their own safety. Four’s imagining what the other Garde members might be like shows how little connection he has to his home planet because of how much pressure he feels to protect it.

“For the first time in my life I stood up to somebody. I’ve always wanted to but never did because I wanted to heed Henri’s advice to keep a low profile. I’ve always tried to delay another move for as long as I could. But today was different. There was something very satisfying about being pushed by somebody and responding by pushing back.” 

Four has been running from an invisible enemy for the last 10 years, so it is significant that he feels satisfaction at actually standing up to a bully. The only control he has over his fight with the Mogadorians is to stay hidden, to remain passive. Taking action against an enemy he can see, Mark, allows him to experience what it is to look an enemy in the eyes and fight back.

“Everybody stares at me when I enter, then at the gloves. There is no point trying to hide them. I look like a fool. I am an alien, I have extraordinary powers, with more to come, and I can do things that no human would dream of, but I still look like a fool.” 

Four has always felt like an outsider, and this quote in particular shows how deeply his feelings of loneliness affect him. He has what humans could only dream of, extraordinary powers, but he still feels incredibly alone because he has no one to share them with. He has to hide what makes him special, which ultimately makes him feel like an outcast.

“The Garde lead the fight, their Legacies on full display. Some are flying, some able to run so fast that they become a blur, and some disappear entirely. Lasers shoot from hands, bodies become engulfed in flames, storm clouds are brewed coupled with harsh winds above those able to control the weather. But they are still losing. They are outnumbered five hundred to one. Their powers are not enough.” 

The fact that the Garde have extraordinary powers and still clearly are outnumbered and likely to lose serves to emphasize just how powerful the Mogadorians are and how skilled they are in tactical warfare. It also serves to enhance the mystery that persists throughout the novel: Were they defeated too easily?

“Pittacus Lore, the greatest of them, their leader, had assembled them before the attack.” 

This is the first mention in the book of Pittacus Lore, which is also the pen name for the authors of the series. By choosing to use a pen name that stems from the lore of the novel, the authors pull readers further into the fantasy and leave them to wonder how this powerful Elder who disappeared is the one telling the story. 

“Before tonight the events were just part of another story, not all that different from the many I have read in books. But now I have seen the blood, the tears, the dead. I have seen the destruction. It’s a part of who I am.” 

These lines serve to emphasize the power that memory has over one’s identity. Four has few memories of Lorien until he begins experiencing visions of the final battle. Now that he has seen the terrible destruction, he feels a deeper connection to his identity as a Garde member and Loric citizen.

“It was all so different from what I expected. Death isn’t like what they show you in the movies. The sounds, the looks, the smells. So different.” 

Four has been told his whole life that he is on the run from the Mogadorians, but up to this point, he still has never really seen one. He also has almost no memory of the fateful day of the battle. These lines emphasize why Four usually feels so frustrated and lonely at their situation; The peril he is in almost seems fictional because it has been invisible up until now.

“No. Don’t give up hope just yet. It’s the last thing to go. 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.”

Hope is one of the novel’s most important themes. Four often feels hopeless because he has little control over his life; he has been running from place to place and unable to face his enemies. The situation seems hopeless given what happened to Lorien in the past, but these lines that Henri speaks return to him over and over again in the novel, showing just how meaningful and impactful Henri is to Four.

“I think the solitude is getting to us both. Not that we aren’t used to solitude. We are. But the solitude in Ohio is different from that of most other places. There is a certain silence to it, a certain loneliness.” 

It is interesting that Four feels the solitude in Paradise is different from other places he and Henri have traveled because Paradise is the first place Four comes to feel at home. This shows that even though Four is actually making a life for himself with Sam and Sarah, the loneliness persists because they don’t truly know him, and there is the constant threat that they will have to leave at any moment.

“You are my life, kiddo. You and my memories are my only ties to the past. Without you I have nothing. That’s the truth.” 

Henri is not Four’s biological father, but it is clear that Four still views him as one, and he views Four as his son. Henri and Four are on opposite sides for most of the novel since Four desperately wants to stay in Paradise, going against Henri’s intuition. Regardless, Henri shows here that his insistence on leaving, even if it makes Four unhappy, is because Four means everything to him and he won’t let anything happen to him.

“You know the saying: he who doesn’t understand history is doomed to repeat it. And when it’s repeated, the stakes are doubled.” 

Up until this point in his life, Four hasn’t had much in the way of history lessons when it comes to his home planet. The idea that history is doomed to repeat itself is an extremely important one for Four, who is very much in the dark about his past and is only just now coming to piece it together. The fact that Henri, who was 40 years old when they left, doesn’t fully understand their history is a sign that perhaps there is a lot more to the final days on Lorien than anyone really knows.

“‘They told us you might be coming. That you would look like humans. That you were the real enemy,’ the man says. ‘What are you talking about?’ I ask. ‘They’re delusional,’ Henri says. ‘They think we’re the enemy.’” 

Since the story is told from Four’s perspective, readers easily accept Four and Henri as the heroes of the story. However, from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know them at all, it makes sense why he would believe aliens who look exactly like humans and are hiding on Earth are the real enemies. For readers, the conflict has been between the Loric and the Mogadorians, but from other people’s perspective, the conflict is between humans and any aliens, including the Loric.

“Had it been me who told him as much, I’m sure that he wouldn’t believe me, that he might become angry, but it is Henri who has told him, and there is a certain integrity within Henri that I have always felt, and I have no doubt that Sam feels it also.”

Henri serves the role of the wise mentor in the novel, a common character trope in fantasy and science fiction. The wise mentor figure is one who naturally radiates wisdom and integrity, even for those who don’t know them. 

“I am not leaving. I am not running. I love my life in Paradise. I love having a real friend, and I love my girlfriend. I’m ready to fight for what I love, be it with the Mogadorians, or be it with Henri.” 

Four’s internal conflict comes to a head here and branches into a full-blown conflict between Four and Henri, one that has been bubbling under the surface for most of the novel. In this moment, it is clear that for the first time, Four is choosing himself above others, as is made clear by the repetitive “I” statements. 

“What an odd thing it must be to watch everything you’ve ever known be destroyed. The fire spreads with hostility, with disregard. All Mark can do is watch.”

It is significant that Four has this thought because it shows how distant he still is from his Loric history. Henri, for instance, had to watch everyone and everything he’d ever known and loved destroyed. Four never really had to since he was too young to remember much of it, which is perhaps why it is particularly jarring for Four to watch Mark hopelessly witness his home, his life, burn to the ground and not be able to do anything about it.

“Though he is not biologically, for all intents and purposes he is my father. I love him and he loves me and I don’t want to disappoint him.” 

Even though Four doesn’t regret saving Sarah, he is clearly still fighting an internal battle knowing that his actions will disappoint and hurt Henri. It is significant that the fire is the first time Four has truly lied to Henri because it is the very thing that puts them in danger and ultimately leads to Henri’s death.

“‘You did damn good,’ he says.” 

In the beginning of the novel, Four fondly pokes fun at Henri for incorrectly using human curse words. It is significant that in his final moments, Henri uses the word “damn” correctly because it recalls an earlier time in the novel when things were simpler, even though they were still on the run. Henri always had Four to tell him when he was using profanity incorrectly, and now he can do it on his own, symbolizing that their time together is coming to an end.

“I wouldn’t have missed a second of it, kiddo. Not for all of Lorien. Not for the whole damn world, he says, and when that last word leaves his mouth I know that he is gone.” 

Throughout the novel, Four wonders if Henri would be happier if he didn’t have to be his Cêpan. Even though being Four’s Cêpan is what causes his death, Henri is still thinking of Four in these final moments. Henri has always protected Four, and he protects him now by reassuring him that he doesn’t regret anything about their time together, even when it has led to his own death.