Doon vs Ember

Authors Note: The author’s purpose is to show you how the character Doon can relate to the phenomenal quote in the book “The City of Ember”.

Have you ever had someone tell you to pay more attention to your surroundings? The book “The City of Ember” has a quote that really made me stop and think about this, the quote is, “The main thing is, pay attention. Pay close attention to everything, everything you see. Notice what no one else notices, and you'll know what no one else knows. What you get is what you get. What you do with what you get, that's more the point.”  To me, this means that you should always be paying attention to what’s around and maybe you’ll discover the significance of something spectacular. Although not all problems are resolved, I think Doon Harrow has the ability to do something good for Ember.

Although, Doon Harrows dad told him this after Doon had received the employment as pipes worker for Ember. Doon had listened very closely to what his father had told him and will now pay more attention to the little things and more attention to his surroundings. This shows when Doon figures out that the pipe works are very messed up. This is one way how he is paying attention more to what’s around him. Doon is pretty known for paying attention to the little things though ever since he was young. He always examines things very closely such as clocks and other smaller mechanisms.

On the other hand, Doon never lets his guard down. When he’s exploring the pipes and a giant mole comes storming toward him like an angry bull, he never lets his guard down. Doon is precautious and young. He’s very smart for his age as well, and is always curious to learn more. When Doon goes to the library, he checks out a few books about Ember and its past. He didn’t find much about it, nor did he find anything about a different world as he was originally searching for, but he did attempt to find things about it. Doon eventually decides to try to go on the adventure with Lina to escape Ember and travel to a different world known as Earth. He decides that he has nothing to lose with the power shortages and all, so why not try it? This shows that Doon is very well educated and precautious about his surroundings. He pays attention to the littlest things.

Doon listens to his dads words closely, knowing that this was a key to getting out of Ember. In order to escape, he must look for what no one else does, and see what no one else sees. In order for him to figure out clues, he must need to pay close attention, and try to figure out the directions of the treasure map. He must unscramble his thoughts and what he knows about Ember and put the puzzle back together. In Doons mind, anything around him could be a clue. If he wants to know what no one else does, he must pay attention like his father told him. If he need to, he could always use this too his advantage like he does when escaping Ember, and knowing about the tunnels in the pipe works.

As you can see, this quote shows how Doon is very precautious about knowing what’s around him.  Doon is a curious kid which you may have recognized already. He’s a very eccentric character yet very curious. I believe Doon’s dad told him this for a reason, to help him with his job and to discover the significance of Ember. Who knows, maybe that was the key to the whole situation with something that could possibly happen later on in the story, but for now, it remains a mystery. Although not all problems are resolved, I think Doon Harrow has the ability to do something good for Ember.