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U.S.I.S.
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Night Watchman, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power, Solidarity, and Community Action
Oppression and Supposed Good Intentions
Humor and Pain
Sex, Violence, and Gender
Agency and Exploitation
Summary
Analysis
On his way back from work, Thomas sees a boy running alongside his car, even as he speeds up to 30, 40, 50. Of course the boy is Roderick, he thinks. When Thomas tells Rose, she says she’ll come with him to work that night. At work, they share a cup of coffee. Thomas falls asleep and then sees Roderick sitting beside the motor, where Rose can’t see him. Roderick worked in the bakery, a job which was the only thing he cared about, until he was caught stealing dough. After that, he didn’t care about anything, and he ran away, again and again. That’s how he ended up in the cellar, where he got so cold. But in the morning, he always woke up as a ghost.
This section gives more insight into Roderick’s story, showing that even though he deeply cared about his job in the bakery, he was driven to steal food because he didn’t have anything to eat. Similar to how Patrice knew that if the bosses at the jewel plant found out about her issues with her eyes, they would fire her, instead of offering Roderick food, the authorities punished him, and those punishments ultimately led to him contracting the tuberculosis he died from.
Themes
