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Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Great Alone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma and Violence
Paranoia and the Vietnam War
Isolation
Family and Community
Death and Grief
Coming of Age
Summary
Analysis
It is now the winter of 1978. Leni, now 17 years old, is hunting out in the woods. She’s become a skilled hunter and is currently tracking a sheep. While doing so, Leni is forced to cross some ice, which she fears will break. She does manage to get to the other side, but not without having to take a leaping jump to avoid ending up in the water. The jump results in a cut on her forehead and a mouthful of blood from biting her tongue. Leni quickly shakes this off, spots the sheep, and makes a clean kill. She then drags the animal back to her snowmobile and drives back to the cabin.
There are several instances in The Great Alone where many years will pass by in between chapters. This is an important feature of the novel's structure, which allows its themes to develop in interesting ways. Now, Leni is much older and has grown used to her environment. Just a few chapters ago she was a child who cried after hitting herself in the eye with a gun. Now, she is a skilled tracker who barely notices the injuries she suffers while hunting.
Themes
Over the past three years, Leni has grown up; she is practically an adult now and knows how to fend for herself in Alaska. During the same period of time, Ernt has gone along with Tom and Marge’s plan. He spends his winters working on the pipeline and provides for his family. However, Ernt is still moody and abusive when he is home, although Cora is convinced that he is getting better. Even though winter is normally the most dangerous time of year in Alaska, Leni finds it calming because she does not have to deal with her father.
Leni’s age and body have begun to catch up to her maturity level. After the events that happened four years ago, she was forced to grow up fast. Unfortunately, neither of her parents has changed; Ernt is still abusive, and Cora still has misplaced faith in him.
Themes
When Leni arrives home from her hunting trip, she finds Marge, Tom, and Cora playing cards. Leni begins butchering her sheep—an activity that is now part of everyday life—and enjoys listening to the adults laugh and joke with one another. Although Leni loves their company, she does worry about the potential of a blossoming relationship between Tom and her mother.
One question that runs through this section of the novel is whether Tom and Cora are having an affair. Though Cora loves Ernt, he is away for much of the year, and she has grown closer to Tom. Once again, Leni must grapple with an issue that is beyond her years; Leni likes Tom, but she knows what would happen if Ernt suspected he was romantically involved with Cora.
Themes
While everyone is laughing and having a good time, Ernt abruptly arrives. Everyone is confused because he is home much too early from his job on the pipeline. He reveals that he’s been fired from the job for drinking, although he denies any wrongdoing. Ernt’s arrival breeds tension among the household, particularly between Ernt and Tom. Cora immediately moves to comfort her husband and before long the two of them move to the bedroom. Leni and Marge quickly give up on trying to understand their relationship and Leni turns on the radio in an attempt to drown out the noises coming from her parents’ bedroom.
It's never confirmed, but Ernt is almost certainly lying about not drinking on the job. He never admits his mistakes and regularly lies to his family, so there is no reason to believe he is telling the truth here. Meanwhile, the situation Leni feared immediately comes to fruition; Ernt does not like that Tom is in his house, essentially playing surrogate husband and father to his wife and daughter. Although nothing comes of it instantly, this section of the novel is characterized by growing tensions between Ernt and Tom.
Themes
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As the weather begins to improve in Kaneq, tourists begin to arrive. Over the past three years, Kaneq has grown more popular as a tourist destination, a fact that angers several of the locals, including Ernt. Due to these recent changes, Tom calls a town meeting, which the Allbrights attend. From the start of the meeting, Ernt is antagonistic, often interrupting Tom. He and some members of the Harlan clan are not happy because Tom wants to renovate the saloon and fix the old boarding house. After stating his intentions, Tom buys everyone drinks, which pacifies the few remaining protesters except for Ernt. Tom tells Ernt that change is inevitable so he should let the issue go. Leni, who overhears this exchange, knows that isn’t going to happen.
Although Ernt and the Harlans are not always the most sympathetic characters, their attitudes toward modernization are reasonable and would have been common in this time period. Many members of the Kaneq community moved there to get away from the trappings of modern society, so it is not unreasonable for them to be upset by the influx of tourists. However, Ernt’s reactions are obviously excessive and uncivilized. Though Tom may shrug him off, Leni knows that tensions will only continue to rise between Ernt and Tom, and she’s worried about what that could lead to.
Themes
