Five Survive

In Five Survive, Jackson explores the theme of secrets, betrayals, and corruption through the characters and their actions. Almost every character is hiding a secret and betraying someone, even the more compassionate ones, casting the novel’s world in moral ambiguity. Simon lies about the RV and his life, creating a false image of himself for his friends. Reyna lies to Oliver about cheating on him with Jack, and she and Oliver lie to everyone else about Jack’s death. Arthur lies about his motivation for joining Red’s friend group. Maddy lies to Red about knowing her mother killed Red’s mom, and Catherine lies and says Frank Gotti killed Grace. Finally, Red lies about her involvement in the Frank Gotti case, casting herself as an honest witness. On top of these initial lies, character loyalties are tested throughout the novel, and Oliver is especially quick to throw others in harm’s way.

Red is the victim of almost everyone else’s secrets, and the Lavoys in particular drastically change the course of her life. Maddy and Catherine are Red’s closest confidantes and keep secrets from her to benefit themselves. Catherine first betrays Red by killing Grace to protect her own career, characterizing her as a corrupt villain who elevates herself above others. As her mother’s best friend, Red views Catherine as a maternal figure; however, Catherine shatters Red’s sense of safety and security, then manipulates her into providing false testimony to cover up the crime and become the DA. The Lavoy family views lower-income people as disposable—a fact especially visible in Oliver’s actions in the RV—and Catherine treats Red and her family, who are working class, as disposable. This class divide deepens after Grace’s death as Red struggles to make ends meet, and Red’s poverty gives Catherine another way to manipulate her as she can bribe Red for false testimony. Her classism becomes explicit in the text in the climax when Catherine’s double betrayal is revealed; she orchestrates Red’s death by sharing her identity with the mafia. Red’s disposability sits at the forefront of her scheme; Catherine has what she wants and views Red as a liability, someone who can damage her ill-gotten career. Her betrayal—amplified by Oliver’s violent sexism and classism, like when he presumes Red is guilty and forces her to strip in front of everyone else—highlights how looking down on others can become literal dehumanization. Additionally, Catherine’s actions highlight corruption in the judicial system as she contorts facts, bribes, and lies to achieve her career ambition.

Catherine’s actions also force Maddy to betray Red’s trust. Torn between protecting Catherine and being honest with Red, she chooses her mother, lying to Red for five years about her mother’s fate. Like her family members, Maddy prioritizes her family, though she is more empathetic toward others than Oliver and Catherine. While they betray others without remorse and never apologize for their actions, Maddy can be seen struggling with her guilt, though the text uses ambiguity to disguise these actions. For example, Maddy avoids talking about Grace with Red, and Red assumes she doesn’t want to make her upset. However, Maddy does so to suppress her own guilt, an action she can maintain until she is shot at the end of the novel. Just as she is bleeding uncontrollably, the truth spills out of her, leaving an opportunity for the friends to make amends.

Catherine’s scheme also forces Red to betray her friends. She hides her secret until the very end when she fears for Arthur and Maddy’s life. Catherine manipulates Red with two of the things Red wants the most: economic security and revenge for her mother’s death. However, faced with choosing between her own needs and her friends’ survival, Red saves others, unlike Oliver and Catherine, who focus on their own survival and gain first. Red is not influenced by class divides the way the Lavoys are, and while she initially agreed to falsely testify, she did so to help her and her father survive rather than out of ambition. Ultimately, she chooses the truth over corruption, even putting herself at risk to protect a police officer. Jackson elevates Red’s values when she survives but Oliver does not; Red’s morality wins out in the end. At the same time, traces of lies and corruption remain at the end of the novel when the group protects Arthur and he kills Catherine in pursuit of justice. With this, Jackson insinuates that these issues are deep-rooted and not easily overcome.

Truth is also situated as the antidote to the harm created by betrayal and lies. The atmosphere inside the RV becomes increasingly claustrophobic because there is a lack of honesty among the group, ensuring that the friends cannot fully trust each other. Due to their secrets, everyone initially thinks about protecting themselves before thinking about the collective good. As the secrets revealed get more and more serious—with Catherine and Maddy’s betrayal being the biggest secret and betrayal of all—the relationships between characters also get increasingly strained. Alongside Oliver’s toxic masculinity, this contributes toward a hostile atmosphere. If the characters were not keeping secrets from each other, the sniper and Arthur could not have created so much conflict with their actions. Things change when secrets are confessed; most notably, Red can achieve peace after Maddy confesses and she realizes Catherine killed Grace. This is represented by the clarity of her mother’s voice. Knowing and telling the truth allows Red to acknowledge her love for her mother instead of just shame, guilt, and anger, highlighting the empowering effect of truth-telling.