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Part 1, Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Our Missing Hearts, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Free Speech, Patriotism, and the Corruption of Truth
Surveillance, Fear, and Discrimination
The Power of Art and Imagination
Parental Responsibility, Rights, and Experience
Privilege, Silence, and Complicity
Summary
Analysis
The story Margaret used to tell Bird is about a poor boy who loves to draw cats. Though the villagers think his drawings are a waste of time, the boy’s parents encourage his talent, handmaking brushes for his art. One year, the boy’s parents die, but no one will take the boy in, as he has a reputation for being useless. He sets off in winter and arrives at another village. There, he meets an old woman who tells him the whole town is afraid, though she refuses to say what they are afraid of. The boy decides to stay in a deserted house on the edge of town, though the woman warns him that a monster lives there, and he should “keep to the small.”
Art is central in this story; the painted cats represent art. Though society views the boy’s talent as useless, his parents encourage his work, demonstrating unconditional acceptance and intimate knowledge of their son. The culture of undefined fear in the town is reminiscent of the paranoia that runs rampant in Bird’s world. Although the boy’s cat paintings are not politically motivated, his persistent creation of art in a hostile world brings to mind the artistic anti-PACT protests that have been cropping up.
Themes
The deserted house is empty except for a small cabinet. The boy is about to sleep when he notices how bare the walls are. He pulls out his brushes and paints a small cat. Then he decides that cat seems lonely, and so he paints more and more cats until all the walls are covered. Missing his parents and recalling the old woman’s warning, he makes his bed in the small cabinet and shuts the door. In the night, he hears violent shrieking outside the cabinet. When morning comes, the boy finds that the mouth of every cat is red. The floor is covered in pawprints, and the corpse of a massive rat is in the corner.
The boy’s cats bring him comfort, illustrating how art can make one feel less alone. Ultimately, the boy’s creations defend him against the monstrous rat, coming to life as a collective to overpower the much larger creature. In this way, the story suggests that small actions undertaken by groups have the power to create significant change.
Themes
