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Chapter 6
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
After spending a pleasantly distracting weekend in Cambridge with his dad and his dad’s girlfriend, Lindsey, Marcus returns to London wondering whether his experience with bullying has actually been that bad or if he’s just been overreacting. While reading a magazine at a newsagent shop, he distractedly begins singing a Joni Mitchell song, and a group of school bullies gather around to taunt him for it. Though Marcus is able to block out most of their noise, before they leave, they hide some of the shop’s candy and gum in his pockets to get him in trouble with the shop owner, Mr. Patel, whom they refer to as “Mohammed.” Mr. Patel, however, understands what truly happened and advises Marcus to “keep out of their way.”
Returning to London marks a shift from the temporary reprieve Marcus experienced in Cambridge, as the harsh realities of his school life come rushing back. Even the innocuous act of quietly singing a Joni Mitchell song triggers the bullies, demonstrating one of the myriad ways in which his differences make him a target. The incident at Mr. Patel’s newsstand functions in a couple of ways: it provides Marcus with an example of an understanding and compassionate adult who seemingly cares about Marcus’s wellbeing, and it hints that Mr. Patel has personal experience with bullying, as well. (That the bullies pointedly refer to him as Mohammed, which is not Mr. Patel’s name, speaks to a probable case of xenophobia.) His advice to “keep out of their way” reflects the limited support available to Marcus, emphasizing the pervasive nature of bullying and the difficulty in finding effective solutions.
Themes
When Marcus comes home, he finds his mum lying on their floor and watching children’s cartoons beneath a large coat when she should be at work. She tells Marcus that she’s home because she feels sick, but he doesn’t buy her excuse. The unfairness of the whole situation is becoming increasingly clear to Marcus: a kid should never feel this degree of responsibility for their own parent. Gradually, he’s begun to resent his mother for being too wrapped up in her own sadness to pay any attention to his.
Fiona’s behavior, lying on the floor like a child watching cartoons, starkly contrasts with her expected role as a responsible adult, forcing Marcus into a caregiver role. His skepticism about her excuse and his growing resentment highlights the inversion of traditional parent-child dynamics. This moment captures Marcus’s internal conflict: his love for his mother is overshadowed by his frustration with her lack of mental and emotional reliability. This dynamic is essential to understanding Marcus’s development and the emotional burdens he carries at such a young age.
Themes
Having tried his hardest since their move to London to keep his anger with his mother bottled up, Marcus can no longer contain it. He confronts her about her constant sadness, finally warning that, “if you can’t look after me properly then you’ll have to find someone who can.” He explains the detrimental effect that her depression has on him as her son. He knows that telling her these things will make her sadder than she already is, but even at his young age, he is able to recognize the desperate, untenable nature of their predicament.
This moment captures a pivotal moment in Marcus’s relationship with his mother, as it marks a shift from his silent suffering to an explicit, vocal confrontation. He has reached his breaking point, fueled by weeks of accumulated frustration and helplessness. When Marcus tells his mum that she’ll have to find someone else to look after him if she no longer can, he is really saying that he is in desperate need of stability and support. Though he is aware of the potential impact his words may have on his mother, he reasons that not saying them at all is perhaps even more consequential.
Themes
At dinner later that evening, Marcus’s mother (whose name is revealed to be Fiona) informs him that he will be attending a SPAT group picnic with her close friend Suzie the upcoming weekend. Fiona, meanwhile, plans to use her free evening to rest and take care of herself. Although Marcus doesn’t care much for his mum’s single parents’ group (mostly because the children of said single parents are all at least 10 years younger than him), Fiona is adamant, explaining that at the moment, neither she nor Marcus are “doing each other any good.” Her words worry Marcus, who wonders how he could ever be bad for his own mum.
Fiona’s sudden decision to send Marcus to the SPAT picnic so that she can take time for herself suggests to Marcus that maybe she’s finally investing time into actively improving her mental state, perhaps heralding a potential shift in her approach to managing her depression. However, Fiona’s assertion that they aren’t “doing each other any good” ultimately reinforces his worries about their relationship. This moment underscores the blurred boundaries between their roles and Marcus’s internal struggle to reconcile his need for parental support with his mother’s emotional unavailability.
Themes
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