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Chapter 37
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Past the Shallows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Hardship
Addiction and Abuse
Tragedy and Blame
Father Figures and Responsibility
The Duality of Nature
Summary
Analysis
In a reality separate from Harry and Miles’s perilous position adrift in the ocean, Harry chases after Jake through a forest. They follow George up a hill and Harry can see a rich, untouched landscape below full of forests, mountains, and valleys. He sees water that seems to go on through “the whole world,” flowing into rivers, lakes, and oceans that look white and gold in the light. Harry feels that he is flying like a bird, and that he is free.
It is unclear whether Harry, like Miles, is dreaming, or if this passage implies that Harry has passed away and is transitioning from life into death. Regardless, George’s presence in this vision suggests that his friendship has thoroughly filled the void in Harry’s life left by grief and mistreatment. Harry’s observation of the ocean’s beauty is also significant, as he is finally able to make peace with the water he has feared for his entire life.
Themes
