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Chapter 62
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Noughts and Crosses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism, Division, and Tragedy
Awareness and Privilege
Love, Lust, Power, and Violence
Friendship
Youth, Innocence, and Growing Up
Family
Summary
Analysis
Sephy gets home from school to find Mr. Hadley’s suitcases in the hallway. She races for him and leaps into his arms, giggling. She asks how long he’s staying, and he says he’ll be home for a while. Sephy realizes Mother is in a rocking chair watching, and it makes her heart drop. Sephy realizes her dad isn’t home for Mother, or for her—he’s home because of Ryan McGregor’s case. She asks if he’ll only stay until after the trial is over. He says nothing is decided, but Sephy figures this is a lie.
Sephy clearly loves her father and craves a close, affectionate relationship with him. But seeing Mother, and realizing that Mr. Hadley is home for Ryan’s case, shows Sephy that things are never going to be simple. It’s always going to feel fraught to openly love her father, when Mother loathes him so much—and it’s hard to accept that Mr. Hadley cares about his career more than his daughter.
Themes
