Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Gilead, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Life, Death, and Beauty
Christian Faith, Mystery, and Ministry
Memory, Vision, and Conviction
Estrangement and Reconciliation
Loneliness and Love
Summary
Analysis
This morning there was a glorious dawn. John thinks about how light is constant; Earth just turns over in it. But it’s all one day, “that first day.” He thinks about his son getting old someday and finds the thought precious. He advises his son to be diligent in his prayers. He won’t be around to help his son carry the weight of his years, but the Lord will.
With “that first day,” John refers to Earth’s creation in the Book of Genesis and suggests that the same light God made at the world’s beginning continues to shine on the world. This seems to help him feel connected to his son’s future aging, too, even though he won’t be there to witness it.
Themes
This day has been strange. Glory invited Lila to the movies, and when she arrived, she dropped off Boughton. Boughton rarely leaves his house nowadays, and he seemed exhausted by the effort of coming over to John’s house. While there, he finally spoke up and said that Jack isn’t “right with himself.” He said that Jack has never told him why he’s back, or what he’d been doing in St. Louis. He’s also noticed that Jack comes to visit John and Lila. John didn’t know how to take this, but it seemed like Boughton was warning him about something. He felt confirmed in the belief that he must talk to his wife about Jack.
If Boughton went to the effort of coming over to John’s house, there’s clearly something on his mind. Jack apparently hasn’t opened up to his father, and Boughton seems to be suggesting that John should be cautious about Jack’s unexplained presence in their lives.
Themes
While John and Boughton were still sitting there, Jack arrived, and John invited him in. He looked as if he knew just what the men had been discussing, and he looked embarrassed and a little angry, as he often does. Boughton soon nodded off, leaving John, as always, wondering what to say to Jack. The conversation limped along pitifully for a while. John didn’t know what else he could have said—after all, Boughton didn’t tell him much. But Jack knew John wasn’t being honest with him, and the whole situation was humiliating. It troubles John’s heart even as he writes this.
Jack has a knack for showing up at awkward moments and making things even more uncomfortable. This time, Jack perceived that his dad and John had been talking about him, but there was really nothing John could say about the inconclusive conversation, especially with Boughton dozing there. It’s an absurd moment that sums up John’s unease about the whole complicated mess.
Themes
When John prays about Jack, it’s Jack’s sadness that strikes him the most. He feels Jack must be forgiven a great deal on account of his sadness. And by the time the women and John’s son come back, the mood in the house is a little lighter. It’s a relief to no longer be alone with Jack. Jack wanders off soon after. After supper, Lila and Glory take a walk to look for Jack, and though they don’t say so, John surmises that they found him at the local bar.
In spite of all his complicated feelings about Jack, in prayer John feels drawn to the unexplained pain in Jack’s past. Prayer seems to help John view Jack more honestly and be sensitive to his needs instead of just John’s own reservations about Jack.
Themes
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