Love vs. Violence Theme Analysis

Violence permeates 16-year-old Jared’s life in Kitimat, British Columbia: he gets mugged and robbed while he’s baking the marijuana cookies that he sells, and several of his mom’s boyfriends abuse him. Violence and love are also inextricably linked for Jared in a confusing way, as his mother and his girlfriend, Sarah, both try to express their love for him through violence (his mother uses violence to protect him and teach him how to protect himself, and his girlfriend tries to be violent during sex). Yet because Jared experiences so much violence at the hands of people who do not love him, he shies away from violence in any context and instead seeks out affectionate relationships, like with his dog and grandmother. In this way, Son of a Trickster shows how when people mix love and violence it can be confusing and emotionally painful, while unconditional love provides the foundation for the healthiest bonds.

Jared’s mother uses violence to protect Jared, but his yearning for her affection instead illustrates how mixing love and violence is confusing and insufficient. Jared’s mom dates an abusive man named David, who breaks Jared’s ribs as punishment for getting bad grades. In response, Jared’s mom nails David’s feet to the floor with a nail gun and instructs Jared to nail David’s arm to prove that he isn’t afraid of David—but Jared refuses, disturbed by her actions. He later thanks his mom for saving him, but at the same time, her capacity to hurt someone close to her is upsetting to him. In a series of text messages, Jared’s mom writes to him, “Luv ur guts,” a texts Jared rereads several times. He replies, “Back atcha,” and she texts, “Sarcastic lil shit ur lucky I luv u nuf not to murder u in ur sleep.” The fact that Jared rereads the first text so many times indicates how much he longs for (and rarely receives) statements of love from his mother. Instead, she often talks to him like she does in the second text, with threats of violence looming. This underscores Jared’s desire for a relationship characterized by straightforward affection, not love mixed with violence. Inevitably, Jared’s mom does turn on him when she discovers that he is giving money to his father Phil, who cheated on her. She trashes Jared’s room and throws a beer can at Jared’s head before disappearing for months. When she finally returns, she admits, “I was pissed. You have no idea what it took not to strangle you." Jared replies sarcastically, “That's love." Because his mother uses violence as punishment in addition to love, her love doesn’t feel unconditional in the way that a mother’s love should be—and it nearly ruins their relationship as a result.

Jared is also uncomfortable when his girlfriend, Sarah, pushes them to try violent sexual acts, further indicating that using violence as an expression of love can harm, not support, a relationship. One day, when Jared and Sarah are making out, she suggests that he could spank her or that she could tie him up, explaining that she’s bored of just kissing. Jared is hesitant, revealing that when David broke his ribs, David got an erection as Jared started screaming. This is another example of how violence and affection (or in this case, sexual arousal) can sometimes be mixed in confusing or upsetting ways. Thus, even though Sarah views the violence as a more exciting or intimate avenue to pursue in their relationship, Jared’s anxiety indicates that any kind of violence (even within an otherwise loving relationship) can be traumatic. And in this way, violent passion can be emotionally and interpersonally harmful in a way that warm, caring love isn’t.

By contrast, Jared’s relationships with his paternal grandmother, Nana Sophia, and his dog, Baby Killer, are nonviolent—and they’re much healthier and more fulfilling than his more violent relationships. Jared’s dog, an old pit bull named Baby Killer, is his best friend. Baby nuzzles him and licks his face, loyally waits for him to come home, and then follows him around everywhere. It’s ironic that a pit bull named Baby Killer—a breed and name associated with violence—is ironically one of the gentlest and most affectionate characters in the book, implying that even when violence is in a creature’s nature, being violent is not inevitable or necessary to a strong relationship like the one Baby and Jared have. When Jared learns that he has to put Baby down, he sobs as he mourns his beloved dog’s death. The fact that he misses Baby so much indicates that her affection was the kind of unconditional, gentle love that Jared needed—and losing it only makes him even more aware of how valuable that love is. Meanwhile, although Nana Sophia lives a few hours from Jared and his mother, she stays in touch with Jared. She often texts him that she loves him, filling the gap that his mom’s abuse and neglect leaves in his life. When Jared’s mom abandons him for months, he asks his Nana if he can live with her once the school year finishes, and she immediately tells him that she’s going to prepare a room for him. This is a symbolic difference between his grandmother and his mother: his mother destroys his room, showing that her love has limits and that her violence can turn on him. Nana Sophia, meanwhile, provides him with a safe space that reflects the care and stability that their relationship is founded on.

At the end of the book, however, Jared learns that he is not actually Nana Sophia’s biological grandson, and she essentially cuts him out of her life. Jared sobs in response to this, thinking, “She'd been the one person who could make the crap seem less crappy.” The fact that he is most upset about losing his grandmother over all other people reinforces how crucial unconditional love is to the healthiest and strongest relationships, while relationships that mix love and violence are complicated and emotionally fraught.