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Hearthstone (1986)
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Belonging, Bigotry, and Identity
Silence vs. Communication
Family Dynamics and Inheritance
Memory
Love and Self-Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
Henry visits Bud’s Jazz Records, and asks if the broken Oscar Holden record can be restored. Bud says that if the record weren’t completely in two, the music could be lasered off, but as is, there is nothing that can be done. Henry leaves feeling disappointed, but glad he “at least […] [has] the broken pieces.”
In this scene, Henry comforts himself with the knowledge that he still has his memories, even if the Oscar Holden record can’t be fixed. This alludes to the role that memory has played throughout Henry’s life: in contrast to his father, Henry has used memory, however imperfectly, to fuel his happiness and his hope.
Themes
Henry returns home. As he walks, he tries to remember the tune of the Alley Cat Strut. He’s forgotten the music, but he knows he’ll never forget Keiko. When Henry gets home, he finds his best suit on his bed and an envelope next to it containing tickets to New York City. Marty appears in the doorway. “I’m sending you back in time,” he tells Henry. Suddenly, Henry realizes that the only person he knows who’s ever talked about New York City was Keiko.
Thanks to Samantha’s example, Marty has clearly found the courage to have important conversations and take important actions even when they might make his father uncomfortable. Marty’s envelope of tickets parallels the envelope containing his transcript that he gave Henry at the beginning of the novel, thereby emphasizing how much healthier and more open the relationship between this father and son pair has become over the course of the intervening chapters.
Themes
Marty reveals that he’s located Keiko. “I know you were always loyal to Mom,” Marty says, “and that you’d never do this for yourself. So I did it for you.” Henry thinks about the last time someone laid out a suit and tickets for him, how he “had refused to go.” This time, however, he “refuse[s] to stay.”
Just as Samantha’s fearlessness in asking questions gave Henry permission to be fearless in answering them, Marty’s gift of the tickets gives Henry the extra bit of courage he needs to follow his heart back to Keiko.
Themes
