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Book 2, Chapter 12
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
There are still stars in the sky as Claire and Einar stand at the base of the cliff. Claire apologizes for what happened to Einar, as he finally told her what he found at the top. Einar says that “he” will come for her at the top. But Claire must focus on the climb for now—and Einar says he’s given her the best mental map he possibly could. He checks her pack, reminds her where her knife, rope, and water gourd are, and finds the healing salve Alys packed for Claire. Then, Claire shows him a rock tied around her neck. Alys sewed some red cloth around it, and when Claire gets to the flat spot just before the top, she’ll toss it down so Einar knows she made it. They hug, Einar kisses Claire, and then they part ways forever.
Einar gives a bit more insight into what (or who) Claire will find at the top, but it mostly remains a mystery and continues to build suspense. Einar and Claire’s goodbye shows how loved, supported, and part of the community she’s become over the last few years. Einar wants her to be successful, so he checks everything. Alys wants her to be well, so she packs Claire a salve. And Claire wants to be able to show Einar she’s okay when she reaches the top, hence the rock to toss down as a token of her love—and as a token of thanks.
Themes
Claire begins the climb barefoot, over easy mossy boulders. Even though Einar told her to focus only on the climb, she thinks often about her son and the life she and Einar could’ve had together. Soon, she reaches a place where she has to leap for her next foothold, which Claire has spent a long time practicing. She climbs up the jagged rocks and then makes the leap to a flat granite rock perfectly. The sun is starting to rise.
Claire’s love for her son, and her desire to be with him, motivates her climb. However, she’s also motivated by her love for Einar. Even though Claire is leaving Einar behind, he will remain a part of her community and her support system as she remembers all the advice he’s shared with her.
Themes
