Conformity vs Rebellion: The Central Conflict of Beneath

Thematic Claim: Conformity as Oppression and Rebellion as Reclamation

Ariel Sullivan’s Beneath opens with the stark command “Conform” — a single word that acts as a thematic keystone for the entire novel. The story explores how authoritarian systems enforce obedience through health-score surveillance, curfews, and forced assignments, while simultaneously charting the costs and necessity of rebellion. The novel’s central claim is that conformity, though demanded by those in power, is a tool of control that erodes humanity; true agency and survival require defiant acts of resistance, even when such rebellion carries devastating personal consequences. The arc of Sasha Cadell — from isolated survivor to mutineer — embodies this claim, while the collective actions of Unit Seven demonstrate that rebellion is both a lonely and communal act.

Tracing the Theme Through the Plot

Part One: The Opening Command and Sasha’s Initial Conformity

The book’s first chapter, titled “Beneath,” contains only the command “Conform.” No characters or events appear; the word stands alone as a blunt instruction from the system. This minimalistic opening forces readers to confront the theme before any story unfolds, suggesting that compliance is the default expectation of the world Sasha inhabits.

Sasha’s early behavior illustrates a conflicted form of conformity. She works in the Hospital Ward, earning the nickname Death’s Angel for sitting with dying patients — a role that aligns with the system’s expectations of passive care. When Commander Tristian Hayes offers her a place in his Force unit as a medic, she refuses, clinging to her hatred of humanity and her isolation. Her refusal is both a rebellion against Tristian’s offer and a submission to her own protective shell. She locks herself in a cycle of resentment, following the unwritten rule that survival means trusting no one. This initial conformity to her own fears keeps her within the system’s boundaries.

Part Two: The Mutiny and Defiance

The turning point comes when Sasha joins Unit Seven and witnesses — then participates in — a full-scale mutiny. The unit jams the shelter doors, punctures oxygen tanks, and fabricates radiation readings to buy time. Tristian openly declares “Following your lead, Lyssa” to Commander Lyssa Burdon, and murmurs “We go out as one” — a direct counterpoint to the solitary command that opens the book.

Sasha’s personal rebellion deepens. She switches health charts with Levi to protect him, confessing to Burdon during a confrontation. She also identifies the spy “Snake” within the unit. These acts are not merely defiant; they are calculated risks that place her own safety in jeopardy. The mutiny is not clean — it fractures the unit, leaves Levi injured, and results in Dr. Kumar’s death. Yet the act of rebellion itself reshapes Sasha’s identity. She sheds her old name “Beast” and accepts “Phoenix,” a name Levi gives her during the escape, symbolizing rebirth through defiance.

Part Three: The Epilogue — Phoenix’s New Rebellion

The epilogue finds Sasha — now calling herself Phoenix — reassigned to Expansion, brutally working with a pickax to mask her anger. She explicitly rejects her father’s survival-only mantra, declaring that she now lives for others. Kaleo (no, Kaleo is a different character; but here we have Kaleo, a former Force member, working beside her. He proposes death as an escape, but Phoenix refuses to break. This moment redefines rebellion not as a single dramatic event but as an ongoing, weary commitment to hope in a system designed to crush it. Phoenix’s choice to continue — to work, to feel, to care — is the novel’s final, quiet act of resistance.

Character Connections to Conformity and Rebellion

Every major character occupies a different position on the conformity–rebellion spectrum:

• Sasha Cadell moves from cynical isolation to active mutiny. Her inner Beast — a metaphor for her suppressed rage — becomes a source of strength once she channels it into rebellion.
• Tristian Hayes initially embodies the ideal commander, following Burdon’s orders while protecting his unit. His decision to lead the mutiny is a calculated rejection of the very system that gave him power.
• Levi supports Sasha’s transformation, revealing that he has been part of a backup rebellion plan. His regret about not forgiving others when they were alive hints at a past conformity to pride.
• Rumi Sato is the silent rebel; she punctures the oxygen tanks and confesses to a two-year secret collaboration with Kaleo. Her quiet actions contrast with Sasha’s more vocal defiance.
• Ingrid Sorenson admits her greatest regret is letting fear win — a confession that underscores how conformity often stems from fear.
• Lyssa Burdon represents the system’s authoritarian face. She uses paranoia and division to maintain control, punishing Unit Seven by stripping their status.

Symbol Connections

Sullivan employs several recurring symbols to reinforce the theme:

• The opening word “Conform” functions as a symbolic command that the novel spends its entire length subverting. It is the system’s demand, and every rebellion after it is a direct answer.
• Death’s Angel — Sasha’s former label — symbolizes passive acceptance of the status quo. She sits with the dying because the system assigns her that role. Her rejection of this label is an act of rebellion.
• The Beast — the raw, violent impulse Sasha tries to suppress. During the obstacle course, she climbs the rope but the Beast “raked its claws down my insides,” causing her to fall. Later, she learns to use this rage as fuel for defiance. The Beast is the untamed self that conformity tries to bury.
• The Pod Tabitha — the gray-eyed woman Sasha sees inside a pod — suggests that beneath the surface of conformity lie hidden truths and captive individuals. The pod represents secrets the system wants to keep buried.
• The Key — though less directly referenced in the evidence, the key symbolizes the ability to unlock freedom or hidden knowledge, a counter to the locked-down world of Haven.

Complexity and Contradiction

The novel does not present a simple binary between good rebels and evil conformists. Several contradictions enrich the theme:

• Rebellion carries high costs. The mutiny leaves Dr. Kumar dead, Levi injured, and the unit scattered. Sasha loses her favorite knife and ends up in Expansion, isolated again. The epilogue emphasizes that rebellion does not guarantee victory; it is a painful, ongoing process.
• Conformity is not always villainous. Tristian’s initial compliance allows him to protect his unit from within. Some rules — like radiation protocols — are necessary for survival. The system was built to keep people alive, even as it becomes oppressive.
• Sasha’s motivation is complex. She rebels not out of pure idealism but from a deep well of hatred and trauma. Her refusal to join the Force at first is a form of rebellion against connection itself. Only through the unit does she learn to fight for something rather than just against.
• The system is maintained by fearful people. Burdon’s paranoia, Henderson’s spying, and even Kaleo’s opportunism show that conformity often arises from fear or self-interest, not malice alone.

Study Questions and Answers

For further exploration of the novel’s world and characters, visit the book’s main page, or read about Sasha Cadell, Tristian Hayes, Levi, Rumi Sato, Ingrid Sorenson, and Lyssa Burdon. Key symbols such as Death’s Angel, the Beast, the Key, and the Pod Tabitha deepen the thematic analysis.