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Chapter 13
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
Unfortunately for Marcus, Fiona is not exactly Will’s usual type. She embodies the spirit of a new-age “hippy,” which is fundamentally incompatible with Will’s affinity for contemporary pop culture and fads. He can’t understand why she doesn’t put more effort into her appearance and admits that the sexiest thing about Fiona, “in a morbid kind of way,” is her mental illness. Despite this, he feels that she and Marcus are meant to be a part of his personal journey and that he can still help them in many ways. As long as they’re in his life, he won’t need to think about volunteering at soup kitchens or apply for media jobs anymore; Marcus and Fiona themselves will be his very own “good works.”
Will’s perception of Fiona as not his “usual type” speaks primarily to his preference for modern, trendy lifestyles over Fiona’s new-age, hippie ethos. He can’t properly appreciate her indifference to conventional appearance and is morbidly attracted to her mental illness, highlighting his extremely shallow and toxic view of relationships. Despite these feelings, Will sees Fiona and Marcus as integral to his journey, as they provide him with a sense of purpose that excuses him from more traditional acts of charity or career endeavors. This perspective shows Will’s self-centered rationale, as he views his involvement in their lives not as genuine care but as a convenient way to avoid more meaningful or demanding engagements, framing the pair as his own personal “good works.”
Themes
One evening after dinner at Marcus and Fiona’s flat, Fiona tells Will that she works as a music therapist and performs a few songs on the piano. Will is struck by her earnestness, noticing how she “means it” when she plays and how she oddly closes her eyes as she sings. Her utter sincerity and emotionality make the noncommittal Will uncomfortable—fearful, even—and he begins to believe he might have made a mistake by inserting himself into their lives. Later that night, he goes home, gets drunk, and consumes shallow, emotionless media in an effort to numb his feelings and restore him to his formerly “unengaged” self.
Fiona’s heartfelt performance and habit of closing her eyes while singing expose a level of earnestness that contrasts sharply with Will’s typically detached demeanor. This encounter forces Will to confront emotions he usually avoids, triggering his fear of losing control over his aloof lifestyle. His subsequent retreat into alcohol and shallow media consumption signifies his attempt to regain his emotional numbness and distance, highlighting his struggle with the demands of authentic human connection and his prevailing preference for surface-level engagement with the world.
Themes
For a time, Will tries to ignore and dodge phone calls from Fiona and Suzie, resuming his normal activities of shopping, watching TV, and going to the movies. But when Marcus shows up at Will’s doorstep one afternoon, Will is forced to let him in. Marcus reveals that he knows Will doesn’t actually have a son and promises to keep this a secret from his mum if Will agrees to date her. Will awkwardly intimates that he’d rather date Suzie than Fiona, but Marcus is unfazed. As Marcus leaves, he assures Will that he’ll be back. Suddenly, Will realizes how unrealistic it was to expect to be a visitor in others’ lives without them also visiting his life, too.
In a moment of half-hearted attempted blackmail, Marcus offers to keep Will’s secret in exchange for Will agreeing to date Fiona, demonstrating how far he’ll go to solidify a secure family unit. This interaction essentially serves as a wake-up call for Will, making him finally realize the irrationality of his expectation to be involved in others’ lives without reciprocation. It marks a key moment in Will’s character development, as he begins to understand that he has met his match in Marcus Brewer, a force of nature Will cannot control.
Themes
