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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Children of Men, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
History, Mythology, and Memory
Fatalism and Despair vs. Action and Hope
Apocalypse: Revelation, Renewal, and Redemption
Globalism vs. Isolationism
Power and Ambition
Summary
Analysis
Rolf drives quickly and recklessly, and soon punctures a tire. The group gets the car off of the road. Theo knows there is a spare tire in the trunk. Rolf , Julian, and Theo drive the car a little further up the road, to a place where they can seek cover, while the rest of the group walks behind. Theo and Rolf attempt to change the tire, but their flashlight goes out. Theo suggests the group eat and make themselves comfortable while they wait for morning.
Rolf, impatient and ambitious, drives in a way that reflects his personality directly and results in strife and hardship for the group. This foreshadows the ways in which Rolf will continue to create tension and difficulty, while Theo will rise to the role of a practical problem-solver.
Themes
