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Chapter 21
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in This Tender Land, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family, Community, and Home
Hardship, Injustice, and Compassion
God, Fate, and Choice
Coming of Age and Personal Growth
Storytelling, Music, and Hope
Acceptance and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Odie wakes to find Mose and Albert standing over him, warning him to be quiet. They sneak away from the sleeping Forrest and head toward the river, where Emmy is waiting with the canoe. Odie liked Forrest, but Albert believes the man was going to turn them in. Forrest’s moonshine jar was square, an unusual shape that Mr. Brickman insisted on using for Volz’s liquor. Albert thinks Forrest is working for Brickman, and he doubts anyone would turn down $500. That afternoon, they camp on an idyllic hillside. Emmy wishes they could build a house there, but Albert announces they are going to Saint Louis.
Albert’s cynical distrust of Forrest is understandable, given the children’s previous experiences with adults who are primarily motivated by greed and self-interest. Emmy’s love for her friends—who have become her found family—goes hand in hand with her desire for a home. In this way, the novel explores how the human desire for belonging seeks out both community and a physical place to call home.
Themes
Albert shows Odie one of Mr. Brickman’s letters. Two years old, it is from their Aunt Julia, who the Brickmans claimed was dead. Though she is unable to support Albert and Odie, the letter implies she tried sending them money. Albert’s plan is to travel to Saint Louis and find Aunt Julia. That night, Odie sleeplessly contemplates the concept of home. There are millions of fireflies in the meadow, and it is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Emmy, also awake, says she wants to come back here someday. The next day, the children are caught in a storm and take shelter on the bank of the Minnesota River. That night, they hear a beautiful voice in the darkness.
While Aunt Julia is hardly the only caregiver whose money was stolen by the Brickmans, it seems particularly cruel to falsely claim the O’Banions’ only relative was dead. Aunt Julia’s existence gives Albert, Odie, and their companions a destination and renewed hope. It is worth remembering that the astounding beauty of nature strikes Odie as he contemplates their potential future home, and Emmy’s remark suggests they have already managed to find a sense of peace and belonging in the land itself. The overheard song entrances the group, once again highlighting the emotional resonance of music.
Themes
