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Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Son of a Trickster, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dysfunctional Families, Responsibility, and Maturity
Love vs. Violence
Escapism and Confronting Problems
The Environment and Human Destruction
Summary
Analysis
Jared is shocked that Ebony Stewart is in his basement, even though she’s pretended not to know him for years because she hangs with the popular crowd. She tells Jared that his cookies are good, but he says that he’s trying to lay low on the cookies because someone attacked him. Ebony tells him that Jared can bake at her house while she has the place to herself for a week, if she gets half the cookies. She assures him that no one will jump him or tell on him. Jared considers her offer, thinking that he’s close to getting his dad out of debt.
There is a disparity between Jared and Ebony in their line of thinking: while Ebony is concerned with becoming popular with her peers by selling Jared’s cookies, Jared is only concerned with making sure that his dad can get out of debt. This stark contrast illustrates how kids from dysfunctional families are often forced to be much more responsible and have much more mature concerns than their peers.
Themes
Ebony goes on, saying that she wants Jared to sell some to Dylan, who is her boyfriend. Jared says that Dylan’s a jerk who runs his mouth, and that he doesn’t want to aggravate Richie again if word gets around that he’s cooking. Ebony assures him that Dylan will keep his mouth shut, and she tells Jared that high school would be a lot nicer with the hockey team backing him up. She puts her hand on his knee and whispers, “please?” Jared blushes, noticing her warmth and her chest, and he agrees. She tells him that he’s going to become very popular, and Jared says snidely that it’s a dream come true.
Again, Jared emphasizes that he doesn’t have the same concerns as his peers in high school. He’s primarily concerned with avoiding abuse at home and earning money for his father, while Ebony assumes that Jared is most worried about protection from the hockey team. Again, this highlights how Jared’s home life has made him much more responsible than other kids his age, and how his concerns carry much more gravity.
Themes
A few days later, Jared goes to Ebony’s house and bakes the cookies while Ebony does her homework. He notices fluffy pastel bags with ribbons on the counter, and she tells him that he’s going to use those bags for the cookies. With the right branding—and by selling to her friends instead of his—he can make triple the amount of money for half the cookies. While the cookies are baking, she and Jared clean the counter, and she gives him an old phone loaded with numbers of the people she wants him to sell to.
The book continues to show disparities between Jared and Ebony in maturity and priorities. Ebony is concerned with her homework, her branding, and her popularity, while Jared simply wants to make money so that he can support his father.
Themes
Dylan is the first person on the list, and when he arrives, he immediately makes fun of Jared’s buzz cut. Ebony sells the rest of the cookies quickly, and within an hour her phone is buzzing; she has to put people on a list for next time. Ebony gives Jared more dates to cook, and though he’s glad to have the money, he’s bothered by the fact that she kicks him out immediately after baking. The guys at Powder House let him hang out and treat him like a real friend.
Even though Jared is more mature than many of his peers, he still has to endure typical teenage drama, like being bullied or not feeling like he has friends. But in the context of Jared’s problems at home, these seem like relatively miniscule issues that Jared quickly gets over—he has more pressing concerns, like financially supporting his father. This again reinforces how a difficult home life can force a young person to focus on more mature problems and take on greater responsibility.
Themes
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Later, Dylan bangs on Jared’s door asking for more cookies, swaying from being both high and drunk. When Jared says he doesn’t have more cookies, Dylan gets angry, and Jared tells him to go home. Dylan says that his dad will kill him if he goes back to the house. Then, Dylan’s friend Bambam appears in the doorway to find him, but seeing Dylan’s condition, he says that he’s just going to leave him there. Jared is annoyed, saying that he doesn’t want to babysit Dylan, but Bambam leaves. Jared texts Ebony to come get her boyfriend as Dylan falls asleep.
Jared is not the only one who uses drugs as a form of escapism, as Dylan gets high and drunk in order to avoid his harsh father. Here, the book starts to explore the frustrating ramifications that drugs and alcohol can have. This is true not just for those using, but those who are forced to deal with the users (like Jared in this moment), demonstrating how drugs and alcohol can actually create problems rather than helping people escape from them.
Themes
Jared wakes to the sounds of Dylan throwing up in the toilet. Dylan asks to borrow the money Ebony gave Jared for a cab, but Jared jokes that he blew it on cocaine and hookers. Dylan says that he has $50 at home, and Jared can have it if he drives him there. Jared agrees, and they drive up to the reserve at Kitamaat Village. Dylan’s house is two stories, with two cars in the driveway and tons of Christmas decorations. Dylan sneaks in and comes back out with a $20 bill, saying that he’ll give Jared the rest if he drives Dylan home after practice.
Jared again displays maturity and responsibility far greater than that of his peers. In pointing out Dylan’s house, two cars, and the Christmas decorations, the book implies that Dylan leads a much wealthier and more stable lifestyle than Jared does. For Jared, this difference between his and his peers’ home lives likely adds to his sense of responsibility to earn money, as it makes his parents’ financial and personal struggles all the more obvious by contrast.
Themes
Suddenly, the lights go on, and Dylan’s dad, Mr. Wilkinson, comes outside. He argues quietly with Dylan before asking Jared if he has a license. Jared asks the man not to drag him into his family’s crap, and Mr. Wilkinson responds that Dylan doesn’t need help from “the likes of” Jared. They trade insults as Jared remarks that Dylan was really classy, passing out and puking in Jared’s basement. As Jared drives away, Dylan salutes him in amusement. At school on Monday, Ebony and Dylan approach him. Dylan high-fives Jared for telling off his dad, and they joke around, but Ebony is annoyed that Jared got Dylan grounded.
Mr. Wilkinson saying that he doesn’t need help from “the likes of” implies that he’s judged Jared as inferior to Dylan in some way. This is ironic, as Jared points out, because he was responsible enough to take care of Dylan and get him home safely, while Dylan was drunk to the point of making himself sick in order to avoid his problems.
Themes
After school, Mrs. Jaks tells Jared that she’s going to see an oncologist in Vancouver and needs help getting the house ready in case she starts chemotherapy right away. Jared spends the next Saturday shoveling the driveway while Mr. Jaks complains about the Russians stealing his potatoes. When they go inside, Mrs. Jaks asks if Jared will visit Mr. Jaks in respite care while she’s in Vancouver. Jared agrees and offers to get her some medicinal marijuana if she needs it. She laughs off his suggestion and tells him that she has spaghetti with moose meatballs when he’s done with the driveway, kissing his cheek. Jared hopes that she’ll pull through the leukemia.
The book continues to contrast Jared’s childlike qualities with those that show how mature he is. In some ways, Jared still enjoys more innocent aspects of life, like having spaghetti and moose meatballs prepared for him because Mrs. Jaks knows it’s his favorite. But in other ways, prompted by having adults in his life who deeply need his help, Jared is much more mature: he helps with the housework, watches Mr. Jaks, and even offers to get Mrs. Jaks medical marijuana. All of these actions suggest Jared’s sense of responsibility to care for the Jakses, a quality that he’s developed simply to survive life with irresponsible parents.
Themes
Back at home, Nana Sophia messages Jared on Facebook, telling him that she sent him Christmas money. She insists that the money is meant for him, not his parents, and that he’s not responsible for the bad decisions his parents make. Jared writes, “Love you Nana,” and she replies, “Love you more, cutie.”
While Nana Sophia insists that Jared isn’t responsible for his parents’ “crappy decisions,” the book suggests that those decisions are exactly what have made Jared mature and responsible beyond his years. In addition, the book again underscores how Jared’s relationship with Nana Sophia is different from most others in his life, as Nana Sophia provides him with unconditional love and support in a way that his parents don’t.
Themes
After Jared signs off, he puts up a small Christmas tree that he bought from the second-hand store, but it doesn’t make the room any merrier. Then, Blake stops by with some beers and a black eye that Jared ignores, asking if he can stay the night. He tells Jared not to open the door if his dad comes by. Jared takes out the handgun his mom gave him and tells Blake that the ammo is in the nightstand, showing him the basics. Jared finds another sleeping bag and they watch a movie together. While they watch, Jared notices Blake nervously glancing at the door, and it reminds Jared of how he used to feel when David was in his life.
Jared observes the problem with mixing love and violence in a relationship, noting how his friend Blake’s violent dad makes him feel constantly on-edge. Jared hints again at the incident between him and David (which the book has not yet fully explained), but this dynamic also reflects Jared’s relationship with his mom. Like Blake’s dad, Jared’s mom brings violence into his life and forces him to be similarly vigilant in defending himself against it, which undermines the loving aspects of their relationship.
Themes
