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Part 1: 24 Apr, 1946
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Literature and Connection
Family, Parenting, and Legitimacy
War, Hunger, and Humanity
Women, Marriage, and Work
Summary
Analysis
Dawsey writes to Juliet that his job at the quarry is over and he's taking care of Kit for a while. She's currently whispering to herself under the table. Dawsey explains that Kit doesn't look like Elizabeth, but she's just as strong-willed as Elizabeth. Elizabeth insisted that Dawsey learn about babies and used to say that Dawsey was fated to be a father. Dawsey says that Kit knows her father is dead, but they still hope that Elizabeth will return. They've recently learned that Sir Ambrose Ivers died in London. Elizabeth inherited his estate, so solicitors are looking for her. Mr. Dilwyn is trying to track her down. Dawsey tells Juliet that the Society is going to the theater to see John Booker and Clovis Fossey in Julius Caesar.
Dawsey's assessment of what traits Kit inherited from her mother shows that even when there are blood relationships involved, that doesn't mean that family looks a particular way—it acts a particular way, in his opinion. This is what allows him and the rest of the Society to think of themselves as a family and as parents to Kit, as they all act like a loving and caring family despite the unconventional makeup.
Themes
