In Unwind by Neal Shusterman, how and why has Connor changed since the book's beginning?

Unwind is a young adult dystopian novel written by Neal Shusterman. After the Second Civil War, fought by the pro-life movement, the pro-choice movement, and the government, ensuing legislation allows parents to “unwind” their children. Unwinding is a process where people between thirteen and eighteen years old are forced into harvest camps. At the camps, their bodies are dissected and their body parts reused.

One of the main characters is Connor, a 16-year-old troublemaker. Connor’s parents choose to have him unwound to get rid of his delinquency. During his attempted escape, he earns the nickname “Akron AWOL” after taking a hostage and shooting a police officer.

At first, Connor only cares about himself and causing trouble. After a series of chance encounters with others destined to be unwound, as well as a series of stays at safe houses, Connor morphs into a courageous and selfless teenager. Because of his connections to others, he is ready to give his life if it means being able to save his new friends. This transformation is mirrored in his relationship with Risa, throughout which becomes more mature and giving.

At The Graveyard, Connor and Risa are willing to work until they turn 18 and become safe from the legislation. However, they learn there are other factions within the group who are more concerned with destroying all facilities which perform the unwinding functions.

Instead of joining these groups and potentially causing more death in a reckless manner like he would have at the beginning of the novel, Connor acts with more care. Connor has a newfound appreciation for life and eventually takes over control of The Graveyard.

As Connor must learn to fend for himself while fleeing for his life, he develops self-sufficiency and learns to trust others. From being an impulsive, hot-headed child, he develops into an adolescent who understands the value of strategizing and anticipating the moves of others as well as following his own instincts. Despite the difficulties the relationships frequently present, his alliances with Lev and Risa help Connor gain insight into the advantages as well as the risks of depending on others. Connor comes to accept his role as a leader once he learns that he is capable of being reliable, and that his actions actually matter in others’ lives.

Although he initially generates resentment when he intrudes into Lev’s supposed destiny, the impact stays with him as he learns he can make a difference. Connor’s interactions with adult authority figures, notably the Admiral, are also important steps to his maturing sufficiently to take on a major leadership role. Accepting that not all rules are arbitrary, for example, is a big step toward gaining the wider perspective he needs to keep the rebel followers organized into effective resistance. In confronting his attitudes toward the Admiral’s possible incorporation of unwound parts, Connor learns to accept ambiguity as an unavoidable aspect of life. His deep distrust of adults—understandable in light of his parents’ decision—can now be contextualized within specific situations.

Connor begins the book as an impulsive and rebellious child.  That rebellious streak is the main reason that Connor's parents are having him unwound.  It's also what saves his life.  Had Connor simply sat at home, the unwind police would have taken Connor.  That would not have made for a very fun read.  Instead, Connor slips out during the night, hides in a truck at a truck stop, causes a major freeway accident, and kidnaps a kid named Lev.  All in the first chapter!  

Connor is for a sure a fighter as well.  He very much hates the societal system that exists, and he wants to fight against it by escaping.  But the way that Connor fights is probably the biggest change in him from the beginning of the novel to the end of the novel.  When the novel begins, Connor is incredibly selfish.  He only wants to watch out for himself.  His life is the most important life.  By the end of the novel though, he sees his life as equal to the other unwinds.  He is still just as much of a fighter and a rebel as ever, but at the end of the novel those character traits are focused on a larger goal.  The goal of helping other escaped unwinds.  

What is the main problem in Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and how does it affect Connor?

One of the biggest problems that Connor must face is maintaining courage in the face of oppression. By standing up to a repressive regime, the kids of the anti-government resistance are showing considerable bravery, risking their lives for what they believe in. For most people, this would be hard enough, but it's especially hard for young adults, without much experience of life.

Somehow, though, Connor must dig deep and find the courage to stand up against injustice. Not only that, but in his capacity as one of the leading figures of the resistance, he has to keep his emotions in check and think rationally about every move that he makes. For it's not just Connor's life that's on the line here; the other members of the Whollies of the Graveyard are at risk, too. And they depend on Connor to show leadership and courage in the fight against the National Juvenile Authority and all it represents.

Connor, Risa and Lev are all scheduled to be "unwound," a process by which unwanted children are claimed by the government so their body parts can be harvested. Connor's main problem is definitely that his parents want the government to unwind him. This affects him by forcing him to run away from home, leaving his girlfriend behind. It also gets him and Risa ratted out to a school principal, and eventually to the police, forcing them to flee. Connor and Risa are then brought to hide in a basement with other kids who are supposed to be unwound. After a while they leave for somewhere else, hiding in the back of an ice cream truck, and then are shuffled between different vehicles on a two-week long trip to some mysterious place called "the graveyard." This journey involves a lot of running and hiding, and a lot of stress for a teenager to endure.

The main problem in this novel by Neil Shusterman is a social problem. American society has become a dystopia, torn apart by war and tenuously stitched back together with an unwieldy compromise on the very nature of life. Adults must make difficult decisions, but it is their children's lives that are at stake. The teenagers who are assigned to be unwound are glorified for their contributions, both to the specific individuals to whom their parts are distributed and to society overall.

Connor is directly affected because he lacks what is considered the proper attitude toward his fate. When his parents decide to unwind him, he actively flouts the rules and runs away. He cannot reconcile his personal beliefs—the holistic integrity of the person he feels himself to be—with the larger requirements of his society. Ultimately, he is forced to accept unwinding—as a recipient. His example shows the difficulty of staying true to one's beliefs, especially in a life-or-death situation.

I would say that the main conflict that is affecting Connor, Risa, Roland, and other Unwinds is their struggle for survival.  

The book opens by telling readers that the "Bill of Life" allows parents to retroactively abort their child during the teenage years.  The child is "unwound."  This means that every single body part, organ, tissue, etc. is harvested and used for spare parts.  This allows the child to "live" forever in a divided state.  

Connor secretly discovers that his parents are having him unwound.  This is the story's inciting incident.  Connor doesn't want to be unwound, so that is the central conflict surrounding Connor.  He wants to avoid going to a harvest camp because he doesn't want to be unwound.  His desire to live causes him to take all kinds of drastic actions.  The first action is his running away from home and going AWOL.  Along the way he becomes friends with various other Unwinds that are also looking to avoid being unwound.  Connor eventually makes his way to the Graveyard, which is a safe haven of sorts for runaway Unwinds.  As the novel comes to a close, Connor has been given a new identity, which shows him as being too old to be unwound.  He then uses his newfound freedom to become the new head of the Graveyard and help other Unwinds find safety.