Previous
Book 1, Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Son, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Pain and Maternal Love
Travel, Fitting In, and Values
Emotion, Individuality, and the Human Experience
Family and Coming of Age
Community and Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
While Claire’s life doesn’t change, “everything [is] different” since meeting Thirty-six. She asked the man if the newchild had a name yet (when newchildren are given to their assigned parents at the Ceremony in December, their names are announced). While the assistant in the room said the newchild might not even get a name or be assigned in December, as he’s not doing well, the man said that he’s actually peeked at the name and is using it in private, hoping it’ll help the little boy adjust. Claire got up to excuse herself, but she asked to visit again. This is an odd request, and the assistant says Claire would probably have to fill out paperwork. Claire knows she can’t do that. But the man says Claire can stop by occasionally. Now, Claire thinks of nothing and no one but her son.
Thirty-six is struggling to adjust, which again aligns him with Claire: neither of them fit in in this society where conformity and emotionlessness rule. The other nurturer’s quip that Thirty-six might not be assigned to a family doesn’t have much emotion behind it: this person doesn’t seem to really care what happens to this baby they’re charged with caring for. That the nurturer is using Thirty-six’s assigned name in private suggests that some here are more willing to bend the rules—and his reasoning for doing so also implies that even here, where everyone conforms and blends in, reminding a person of their individuality can help them feel secure and at home.
Themes
