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Chapter 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Skellig, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Weakness, Strength, and Hardship
Curiosity, Nature, and Transformation
Love, Empathy, and Caregiving
Imagination, Magic, and Faith
Summary
Analysis
The garden is nothing but weeds, but everyone tells Michael it will have a swing and a pond one day. Michael kicks dandelions until Mum comes out with lunch for him. Mum apologizes for the state of the house and for everyone’s bad mood. Mum asks if Michael understands, and Michael says yes. Michael eats his sandwich and thinks of his old house and his old friends, Leaky and Coot. Inside, the doorbell rings and Michael hears Dr. Death’s voice. Michael calls him Dr. Death because he once saw him smoking a cigarette in his car.
Michael is not in a mood to romanticize. Although everyone else can see how wonderful the yard is going to be in the future, Michael only sees the ugly weeds. Similarly, Michael fixates on the distasteful habit of the doctor’s smoking a cigarette and uses this one characteristic to consider the doctor an omen of death. All Michael can see is reality, and reality is not so pretty right now.
Themes
Michael takes his flashlight and goes into the garage. He approaches the scratching in the corner, breaking through cobwebs. Dead bugs and old newspapers are everywhere. Shining his light behind the chest, Michael sees the creature’s white face and black suit. Michael thinks the creature is dead. But then, in a creaky voice, the creature asks Michael what he wants. Michael’s heart pounds. Dad calls, and Michael backs out of the garage. Dad chastises Michael, thumping the garage with his fist to show him how unstable it is. Michael grabs Dad’s arm to make him stop and promises he won’t go in again.
It is unclear whether the creature is a human or an animal. He has a “black suit,” like a human might wear, but he also has a “white face,” like the marking an animal would have. The creature’s first question to Michael—“what do you want?”—seems to apply generally to Michael’s character throughout the story. Michael is unhappy and burdened with hardships, and so he’s constantly asking himself what he needs to improve his circumstances.
Themes
