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Chapter 24
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Something Wicked This Way Comes, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Good vs. Evil
Age, Time, and Acceptance
Love and Happiness
Fear, the Supernatural, and the Unknown
Summary
Analysis
Miss Foley paces her house thinking about what to do about Will, Jim, “and…the nephew.” She stops. “Strange,” she thinks. “Why not say my nephew?” Since Robert’s arrival, she hasn’t been able to shake the feeling the that “he didn’t belong, his proof was not proof.” She looks to the carousel ticket in the living room. “ADMIT ONE,” it reads. Despite her doubts about Robert, she can’t wait to ride the carousel. Miss Foley goes to the telephone, calls Charles at the library, and tells him to meet her at the police station.
Clearly, Miss Foley senses that Robert is not who he claims to be, yet her own desire to regain her youth is so strong that she doesn’t heed the warning of his evil presence. Like the free tickets Mr. Dark gives to Will and Jim, Miss Foley’s carousel ticket tempts her to ride. While Miss Foley is likely still unaware of the physical transformation that riding the carousel will induce, she longs to feel younger, even if only for the duration of the ride.
Themes
