Previous
Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Son of a Trickster, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dysfunctional Families, Responsibility, and Maturity
Love vs. Violence
Escapism and Confronting Problems
The Environment and Human Destruction
Summary
Analysis
The next morning, Jared texts his mom to ask if she’s alive, but he doesn’t get a response. She and Richie come back a few days later with a bucket of KFC and beer. She’s thinner, and Jared asks where she was—he thought she might have died. His mom refuses to tell him, saying that he’s acting like a baby. As they eat and watch TV, she wraps her arms around Jared and squeezes, saying, “I loooooove you.” He asks her not to do anything that could kill her.
Just as Jared and his dad have reversed roles, Jared and his mom are starting to swap roles as well. Jared is asking his mother to be more responsible because she’s failing in her duty to take care of herself or him, leaving him alone and unaware of where she is for several days. This is also what makes her love ring hollow, because she seems capable of abandoning him at any time.
Themes
The next morning, Jared checks the fridge, which is mostly empty. He thinks that he might have to do a bake sale soon, if he can figure out where to cook. Jared eats cereal, and as he returns downstairs, he sees Sarah walking up the street in a grey skirt and blazer, with red lipstick and pearls. She says that she’s going to the Idle No More protest—if she wears “the clothes of the oppressor,” the police will let her call a lawyer in jail. Jared goes with her, taking the bus to the reserve. He’s amazed that they’ve barely known each other more than a week. The day is sunny, and there are speeches and songs, but Jared only remembers Sarah’s excited face and her fingers in his.
Jared’s thought that he might have to start baking again indicates that he feels he has to take responsibility for himself, because his mother isn’t fulfilling the job of a parent to feed her child. Meanwhile, Sarah’s reference to wearing the “clothes of the oppressor” also indicates how she feels she has to dress well (i.e., in a suit) to be treated well—when in reality, the purpose of the protest is simply to convince people to recognize the importance of protecting the environment.
Themes
When Jared gets home, he finds the basement door kicked in, his furniture smashed, holes in the wall, and the mattress slashed. Richie texts him to stay with Blake—his mom is furious. Jared goes upstairs and finds his mom with bloody knuckles. She tells Jared that Destiny told her Jared was helping his dad. Jared’s mom hurls a beer can at his head, and she calls him a “goddamn fucking disloyal piece of shit.” Jared walks out of the house, and his mom doesn’t bother to follow him.
In this moment, Jared’s mother shows her violent side once again—except this time, she turns it on Jared. The fact that his mom uses verbal abuse and violence as a punishment in addition to an expression of love makes Jared feel that her love isn’t truly unconditional, and that she can turn on him at any moment. Here, the trashed basement also reflects their relationship, showing how Jared’s mom does not provide him with a safe, loving environment. As a result, the book illustrates, they experience a severe break in their relationship
Themes
