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Boy Swallows Universe
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Boy Swallows Universe, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Goodness, Masculinity, and Coming of Age
Trauma, Coping, and Healing
Family, Love, and Mentorship
Storytelling and Justice
Money, Suburbia, and Criminality
Summary
Analysis
Caitlyn and Eli are in the car, and Caitlyn asks if it was really her on the beach. Eli says it seemed like it, but he opened his eyes in the hospital to his family instead. Mum cried and pulled everyone—even Dad—into a hug. That’s when Caitlyn walked in. Caitlyn says that she had nothing to do with saving Eli—that was all the doctors. The doctors insisted Eli is a miracle for surviving, but August didn’t seem surprised to hear this. August knew Eli would come back, because he’s a year older than Eli and a year older than the universe.
It’s possible to read Eli’s dream as an indication that he’s actually starting to turn away from Slim and toward people like Caitlyn instead. The fact that Eli wakes up to his whole family in the hospital room highlights how close and loving they’re becoming. And Mum pulling Dad into the hug offers hope that going forward, they might repair their relationship and get back together.
Themes
Back in the present, Caitlyn pulls up in front of Lyle’s house. She and Eli are supposed to be working on a five-part story about Tytus Broz’s downfall, with firsthand accounts from Eli. Eli said nothing when Brian asked for the three-word headline. Eli gets out and knocks on the door. The current residents are a Black dad and two kids, and the man allows Eli to enter Lena’s room. It’s now a girl’s bedroom. Eli opens up the wardrobe door to reveal the secret room and leads Caitlyn into it. The red telephone is still there, and Caitlyn recoils from it.
The three-word headline is presumably the words Eli wrote just before he passed out after Iwan let him go: “boy swallows universe.” Eli isn’t yet really to share all of his story, which is why he keeps it a secret from Brian. Making it clear that a new family lives in Lyle’s house highlights how much time has passed since Eli left. The red telephone might still be here, but Eli is a different person now, and his life isn’t at all the same as it was when he lived here.
Themes
Eli moves closer to it, and then the red telephone starts to ring. Caitlyn doesn’t react, so Eli asks if she hears it. Caitlyn tells him to leave it alone. Just as Eli is about to put the phone to his ear, Caitlyn puts her hand on his. She asks what the man on the phone is going to tell Eli that he doesn’t already know. As the phone rings again, Caitlyn kisses Eli. It feels like being in the middle of the galaxy during the Big Bang—and the phone stops ringing.
It seems like Caitlyn doesn’t hear the phone ringing, but she recognizes that Eli does. She implies that Eli doesn’t need to pretend August is speaking to know what the truth is; Eli can instead trust himself and listen to what he believes is true. When Caitlyn kisses Eli and this makes the phone stop ringing, Eli symbolically lets go of all the past trauma he linked to the red phone. Just like the Big Bang ushered in life, Eli’s life is beginning again—and now, Caitlyn is a part of it.
Themes
