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Chapter 5
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
When Michael gets home from school, there is a hole in the wall where Ernie’s toilet had been. Dirty and smiling, Dad shows Michael the toilet sitting in the garden, joking that it can be a garden seat. Then, holding his nose, Dad shows Michael four dead pigeons that he found behind the fireplace. The pigeons are hard as stone when Michael touches them. While Michael washes his hands, Dad asks him about school. Michael says Mrs. Dando asked about the baby. When Dad goes to take a bath, Michael takes his flashlight and goes into the garage, telling himself that the creature won’t be there.
Dad uses humor and curiosity to cope with the family’s ongoing struggles, imagining turning the toilet into a chair and marveling over the dead pigeons. Although Michael does not say so, he does not react as his father does to these things. The toilet and the dead pigeons represent death and decay, both of which frighten and haunt Michael. Michael’s family is coping with the hardship in a way that alienates Michael, and this only increases his feelings of despair.
Themes
