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Book 3, Chapter 10
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Son, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Pain and Maternal Love
Travel, Fitting In, and Values
Emotion, Individuality, and the Human Experience
Family and Coming of Age
Community and Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
When Jonas and Gabe return to Claire’s cottage, Gabe is prepared to tell her that he understands her sacrifice and just wants to be with her. But she looks dead. Jonas checks her pulse. She’s still alive, so Jonas says he’s going to “look beyond” to find Trademaster. Gabe sits with Claire while Jonas groans, gasps, and shimmers. A few minutes later, Jonas shares that he and Claire both remember Gabe’s comfort object, a stuffed hippo named Po. Now, Gabe must be a “fine water beast” like Po and seek Trademaster across the river.
Gabe doesn’t have to abandon everything about his infancy in the original community; the experiences he had there can continue to influence and guide him, as they do here when Jonas encourages him to be like Po the stuffed hippo and navigate the river. The river now becomes a test of sorts. Gabe must cross it and cross back—but if he succeeds, he’ll be crossing back home rather than using it to flee this place and find a home elsewhere.
Themes
Jonas refuses to come with Gabe, insisting that he had to leave behind a man he loved when he ran away. Now, Gabe must do the same: they both need, and needed, to do it on their own. Gabe kisses Claire’s cheek and prepares to cross the river to a stand of birch trees on the other side. The river suddenly seems less welcoming than ever. He thinks of Jonas saying that Trademaster is likely back because he gains satisfaction from seeing the trauma he causes play out. He wants to see Claire die.
Gabe symbolically prepares to come of age as he leaves behind his mother, his father figure, and his home to prove himself and fight evil. As Gabe comes of age by hopefully vanquishing Trademaster, within the world of the novel, he'll also help lots of other people by destroying someone who routinely causes pain and suffering to many.
Themes
With his paddle in his hands, Gabe wades into the river. It might make a good weapon, though Gabe feels ill at the thought of killing someone. Focusing on crossing the river, he lets the current take him out into the deep part. As he gets caught on some rocks and rests, Gabe realizes he can’t kill another person. As he thinks this, moonlight suddenly lights the river—and as he thinks it again, the current nearly stops. Gabe continues repeating the words, which seems to calm everything around him. He recites the names of all his friends who carved their names into his paddle, and he adds Kira, the children, and Claire. When Gabe climbs ashore, clouds cover the moon again and a tall man appears.
The novel veers further into the fantastical here, as Gabe’s generous and compassionate thought—that he can’t kill someone—seems to soothe the natural world. Additionally, Gabe takes comfort and support from his friends as he recites their names carved into his paddle. The paddle, then, emerges as a symbol for community: Gabe may have carved the paddle mostly on his own, but his friends’ support and goodwill created the circumstances in which he could create it.
Themes
