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Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in About a Boy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Chosen Family
Coming of Age and Maturity
Alienation and Mental Illness
Identity, Pop Culture, and Fitting In
Summary
Analysis
Though he would have preferred to go home and avoid the chaos altogether, Will is charged with driving Marcus to the hospital since they weren’t allowed to ride in the ambulance with Fiona and Suzie. On the way there, he tries to reassure Marcus that his mum will be okay, but Marcus understands enough about the world to see that isn’t really “the point,” which impresses Will. When they arrive at the hospital, Suzie tells Marcus that his mum’s actions had nothing to do with him, but Will can tell that Marcus—“the oldest twelve-year-old in the world”—resents Suzie’s well-intentioned coddling.
Despite his desire to avoid the chaos, Will is suddenly thrust into the role of a caretaker, perhaps for the first time in his life. Marcus’s sober understanding that the complexity of his mother’s condition defies simple reassurance emphasizes his own maturity, surprising Will in the process. Suzie’s attempts to console Marcus, while well-meaning, come across as dismissive of his deeper understanding and emotional depth, revealing the fundamental disconnect between adult perceptions of children’s capabilities and the reality of their experiences. This moment is crucial, as it bolsters the growing bond between Will and Marcus.
Themes
As they await an update at the hospital, mostly in silence, Will considers how absorbed he’s become by the evening’s events. He observes the other patients awaiting treatment, assuming they’re all deadbeats, vagrants, or drunks, and resolves that it’s best for his entanglement with Marcus and Fiona to be a one-time thing. Marcus, meanwhile, fears that the doctors treating his mother will unfairly presume that she, too, is some kind of “deadbeat,” given the reason for her admission. Eventually, a nurse informs them that Fiona will be kept overnight, so Suzie volunteers to act as Marcus’s temporary guardian. Finally heading home, Will firmly decides that, though the night was “interesting,” he certainly “wouldn’t want to do it every night.”
While waiting at the hospital, Will’s internal monologue reflect his prejudices and detachment from the harsh realities that others face. Will’s resolve to limit his entanglement with Marcus and Fiona highlights his discomfort with the unpredictability and emotional intensity of this situation. Meanwhile, Marcus’s fear that his mother will be unfairly judged by the hospital staff mirrors Will’s own anxieties about societal perceptions. The nurse’s update that Fiona will be kept overnight brings a temporary resolution to the immediate crisis, with Suzie stepping in to relieve Will as Marcus’s temporary caretaker. Will’s final reflection, acknowledging the night as “interesting” but ultimately undesirable as a regular occurrence, captures his reluctance to fully commit to the emotional complexities and responsibilities of a deeper relationship with Marcus and Fiona.
Themes
