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Chapter 38
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
Michael wakes up, muttering for Mina not to call Dr. Death. Mina strokes Michael’s brow. When she tells him to touch his heart, Michael feels it beating, but he can’t feel the baby’s heart anymore. Although Mina says that Michael can’t be certain, Michael is sure the baby is dead. As Michael and Mina leave the house, Michael looks for Skellig. Mina reminds him that Skellig is gone.
Michael is convinced that the absence of the baby’s heart is a sign of death, but it could also be a sign that her heart has become strong enough to not need his protection. In this case, it is clear that a painful part of the process of a person becoming strong is that they grow away from those whom they once needed.
Themes
As they walk home, Michael asks Mina not to tell Dad that he fainted. As he wonders aloud where Skellig is, a bird flies overhead. Mina says that William Blake used to faint and attributed it to his soul jumping out of his body out of fear or joy. Michael’s mouth is dry. Michael and Mina sit on the stoop to wait for Dad. Michael wonders if Skellig is gone for good.
The fact that a bird flies overhead just as Michael and Mina wonder where Skellig is suggests that Skellig is that bird. Michael is scared and sad, not knowing whether he will ever see Skellig again. Although Michael once wished for Skellig to become well, he is struggling to adjust to the fact that health includes independence.
Themes
