While Cassia lives in a world of technology far more advanced than our own, continued reliance on human intellect is testament to a preference of order and peace over blind efficiency. Knowledge doesn’t fail us.” Cassia, Įvident throughout Ally Condie’s descriptions of the dystopian Society in Matched is that human contribution is highly valuable, though heavily regulated. “…As the society reminds us, there’s a difference between knowledge and technology. There is irony, however, in the way the silver box continues to create a “barrier” between them, as it is the microcard inside the box that ultimately displays Ky’s face and creates difficulty in Cassia and Xander’s relationship. As Matches, Xander and Cassia have full liberty to explore a romantic relationship, a notion that had never really occurred to either prior to the Matching. In this moment, Cassia observes how the platonic boundary that has always divided Xander and her no longer exists. “He does not let go of my hand the little silver box I hold creates a barrier between us even as another one breaks.” Cassia,

Matched by Ally Condie