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Chapter 21
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Beartown, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Community Breakdown and Inequality
Culture, Character, and Entitlement
Parents and Children
Loyalty and Belonging
Resistance and Courage
Summary
Analysis
The older girls in Kevin’s kitchen laugh cruelly when Ana asks about Maya, calling her a “second-rate bitch.” Ana doesn’t look for Maya or call her. She’s hurt that Maya ditched her for a boy for the first time in their lives. As she leaves, she passes a drunken Amat, who sobers slightly when he hears Maya’s name. Ana tells him to tell Maya she’s gone, and to look for her in Kevin’s bedroom. Amat silently shatters inside. Upstairs, even as she struggles to breathe, Maya tells herself that Ana will find her at any moment now.
Because of the way Ana rescued Maya when they were little girls, the reader expects Ana to do the same here; tragically, she doesn’t. Ana feels hurt and rejected by Maya, assuming she’s ditched Ana for a boy. Meanwhile, the older girls’ cruel responses to Maya indicate that it’s not just the men in town who have misogynistic attitudes; the young women have also internalized that way of thinking.
Themes
Amat is never sure what made him go upstairs, or what it was he heard. But for some reason, he opens the door of Kevin’s room and sees Maya’s tears and torn clothes, and the marks on her neck. His rushing into the room is just enough to break Kevin’s concentration, and Maya manages to push Kevin off of her and flee. She doesn’t remember running out of the house.
Amat ends up being the one who stops the assault, albeit too late. However, his witnessing the event proves consequential later. He’s already demonstrated his ability to take in small details quickly—to see what others don’t, in part because he’s an outsider—and that helps him here.
Themes
As Maya walks down the street, she hears Amat calling after her. He says she needs to call the police. Maya tells him it won’t make any difference; they won’t believe anything she says. Both of them are crying as Maya adds, “Because this is a fucking hockey town.”
It’s an indictment of Beartown that Maya already knows what’s going to happen—that nobody’s going to believe her because of the identity of her attacker. Protecting players like Kevin is embedded in the town’s DNA.
Themes
Maya walks into the forest, not wanting to pass through the middle of town. When a car abruptly stops ahead of her, she braces as if to be attacked again. But then Benji gets out and comes within ten yards of her. He sees that she’s crying and realizes she wants to hide. He gives her a nod and walks away.
Maya is traumatized by the attack. Giving Maya space, Benji is sensitive as ever, and though at the time he doesn’t realize what he’s seeing, he’ll figure it out before too long.
Themes
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