Betraying the Ones You Love

After reading the second book in the "Glow" series, Spark, by Amy Kathleen Ryan, I've come to realize the internal and external conflict the main character, Waverly, is going through. In the story, Earth has been so polluted that everyone left. There are two spaceships taking everyone to New Earth, it is an 80 year journey, and at the time of the story it has been 40 years.

The external conflict is that the opposite spaceship, the New Horizon, has taken all the parents on the Empyrean. Waverly and the kids have to get them back. I don't think that Waverly handled the situation well because she acted arrogantly and she was so caught up in saving her mother she made a reckless attempt to save them. For example, if she had listened to the newly elected captain of the ship, Kieran, who was also by then her ex boyfriend, she would of realized that his idea of negotiating with the New Horizon would have worked well. Kieran had already set up plans with the captain of the ship, and if it wasn't for Waverly, the treaty probably would have been done. Waverly should have thought things through before making a rash and immature solution.

The Internal conflict was that her boyfriend, Kieran, was turning into someone that Waverly didn't like. The pressures of being captain of the Empyrean made Kieran harsh and tough. I think Waverly handled this situation poorly because she ended up betraying him. For example, Waverly doesn't like that Kieran had starting having church services every Sunday because it reminded her of the captain on the New Horizon. I think that Waverly should have told Kieran why she was upset, but instead she went to  visit Seth, Kieran's mortal enemy, in jail. She started plotting ways to overthrow him. I can relate to someone you thought you knew change into someone you don't like, but if I were in her situation I would try to confront the person first. The last thing I would do betray the person.

This also makes me wonder how strong their love really was. If a stupid argument was enough to end an engagement, then was their love for each other real or was it just the pressures of the rest of the ship?   Waverly was so quick to betray him and he was so quick to break up with her, then my guess is that they didn't actually love each other they just felt like everyone expected them to marry because they were the two first born on the ship.

In conclusion, Waverly handled both the internal and external conflict poorly. I think that Waverly needs to learn to think through her decisions and not act recklessly. This can also go for the internal conflict too because if she had thought through her decision to talk to Seth than maybe they wouldn't have broken up in the first place. Also, perhaps Waverly and Kieran's relationship wasn't true love, it was just the pressures of the people on the ship wanting them to get married.