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Chapter 7
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
While getting to know Suzie, Will continues his charade of single fatherhood by constructing a damning narrative around his fictional ex-wife, Paula. He portrays her as greedy, irresponsible, and entirely self-interested, making himself look like the world’s best single dad by comparison. Aware that he can’t hide the absence of his made-up two-year-old forever, Will knows it would be wise to end things with Suzie before they even begin. But Will has always had a tendency to naïvely carry on with his performances, even as the truth threatens to reveal itself. And he reasons that since he’s having such a good time with Suzie now, why should he have to leave?
By crafting a negative portrayal of his fictional ex-wife, Will seeks to garner sympathy and admiration, portraying himself as the ideal single father. This reflects Will’s superficial approach to relationships and his pattern of avoiding genuine connections. Despite the looming threat of exposure, he continues the charade, which only emphasizes his naivety and inability to commit to the truth. His contemplation of ending his relationship with Suzie preemptively indicates a fleeting moment of self-awareness, but his decision to stay for immediate gratification reveals the short-sightedness of his plan.
Themes
On the way to the SPAT group picnic, Will sits next to Marcus, “the weird kid,” in the backseat of Suzie’s car. When the conversation eventually turns to what Will does for a living, he is finally forced to reveal the one truth he prefers to avoid above all the rest: he lives off the royalties of a famous Christmas song called “Santa’s Super Sleigh” that his father wrote in 1938. Both Suzie and Marcus respond by singing the song in the car, which leaves Will feeling fairly annoyed, though he certainly sees the ridiculousness of the whole thing. Artists from Elvis to the Muppets to David Bowie have covered the corny song on Christmas albums, but Will doesn’t like to make a show of something so uncool. When Suzie asks if he’s ever wanted an actual job, he tells her that he has, but just “never [seems] to get round” to getting one.
This scene exposes Will’s most closely guarded secret: his financial dependence on his father’s Christmas song royalties. This revelation shatters Will’s carefully curated image of independence and sophistication, and it brings up childhood memories that he prefers to avoid altogether. The irony of such a trivial and “uncool” source of income being his one and only lifeline highlights his internal conflict between a desire for true authenticity and the need to look cool in order to be liked. Though Suzie and Marcus respond to his shameful secret lightheartedly, Will’s discomfort is evident.
Themes
Will assesses Marcus at the picnic, privately noting his head of disheveled, frizzy hair and comparing his sense of style to “a twenty-five-year-old chartered accountant on his day off.” Still, he realizes that he might score points with Suzie if he befriends her best friend’s strange son. After all, Will considers himself something of an adult “teenager,” so he thinks he’ll be able to connect with the boy. He first tries asking Marcus about sports, but Marcus has no interest in them. When Marcus tells him that his favorite musician is Joni Mitchell and that most kids at his school also listen to her, Will is incredulous. For a moment, Marcus’s interest in the songstress makes Will feel as though he’s missed out on a popular trend, a “Joni Mitchell revival,” and he wonders if he’s actually less cool than he’s been led to believe.
Will’s internal critique of Marcus at the picnic reveals his tendency to judge others based on appearances—even children. His identification as an “adult teenager” makes clear his refusal to fully mature, as he still proudly clings to a sense of youthfulness and (perceived) coolness. His attempts to connect with Marcus initially miss the mark, which leads him to believe he might actually be out of touch. For Will, youthfulness is equivalent to coolness, which speaks to his arrested development. Marcus’s unexpected admiration for an older artist like Joni Mitchell challenges Will’s assumptions about what is currently considered “cool” and thrusts his ongoing struggle with his personal identity into the spotlight. He privately questions his own relevance and cultural awareness, exposing his misguided fixation on popularity.
Themes
When Will tries to subtly gather more information about Marcus’s mum from Suzie, Marcus overhears and interjects, claiming, “She’s going nuts.” Suzie assures Marcus that his mother is fine, she’s just a little “off colour,” but Marcus accuses Suzie of not seeing her enough to understand what she’s really been like. Afterward, Suzie dwells on his remarks, insisting that she sees Marcus’s mum “at least once a week” and calls frequently enough. Will, meanwhile, ignores her defensiveness, dwelling instead on the magazines he plans to give up because they’ve apparently rendered him “out of touch.”
The exchange about Marcus’s mother’s mental health brings to light the strained relationships and various communication gaps among the characters. Marcus’s blunt assessment of his mother’s condition is contrasted with Suzie’s dismissive reassurance, revealing an apparent sensitivity or insecurity about her recent lack of involvement in her close friend’s life. Meanwhile, Will’s detachment from the conversation once more foregrounds his tendency to avoid engaging with serious or uncomfortable topics, as he instead superficially focuses on his personal concerns about outdated magazine subscriptions.
Themes
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To ease some of his discomfort about maintaining the ever-expanding lie of his made-up family, Will chooses to throw himself into the children’s picnic activities, strategically avoiding extensive conversation with the SPAT adults. After a while, Suzie joins him and begins asking questions about his “son,” such as which parent he resembles more and what his personality is like. She trails into a rant about the pain she sometimes feels when she looks at her baby and sees her ex-husband’s features, and Will momentarily feels a tinge of remorse. Just as the conversation allows Will the opportunity to officially express his romantic feelings, Marcus interrupts, informing them that he might have accidentally just killed a duck.
Will’s decision to immerse himself in the children’s activities at the picnic reflects his discomfort with adult interactions—particularly those that would require him to uphold his fabricated story, as he would rather not engage in deeper conversations that could potentially expose his lies. Suzie’s questions about his fictitious son force Will to improvise further, amplifying his internal conflict and guilt. Her subsequent candid reflection on her own emotional struggles with her baby and ex-husband momentarily evokes a sense of remorse in Will, but this potential progress is ultimately cut short by Marcus’s dramatic interruption about the duck.
Themes
