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Book 3, Chapter 11
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
Gabe is freezing and afraid: he expected to have some time to prepare for this. His eyes glittering, Trademaster says it’s so lovely to have someone seek him out for once. As Gabe holds tight to his paddle and introduces himself, Trademaster suddenly appears closer. Though he looks clean, he stinks. Getting too close to Gabe, Trademaster sneers that he knows Gabe’s name, and they both know why they’re here: they both want to “destroy” the other. Asking about Gabe’s weapons, Trademaster insults Gabe’s paddle. As Gabe says that he can’t kill, Trademaster winces and the moon shines bright.
Gabe’s paddle is a weapon of sorts, but it’s not the kind that works like a bludgeon: rather, it seems to magically bolster Gabe and calm the natural world, which seem to be on the same side against Trademaster. That Trademaster sees the paddle as a weapon with which to hit things speaks to his evil, narrow worldview: it’s unfathomable that teamwork and community could give a person power.
Themes
Meanwhile, Jonas and Kira wait at Claire’s cottage. Earlier, when Jonas looked beyond, he saw (but didn’t tell Gabe) that Trademaster was waiting for Gabe. But Gabe has always been tenacious, and it’s always been clear he has some sort of gift. Hopefully, Gabe’s gift will be able to help him fight Trademaster, who’s “inhuman,” “dangerous,” and “evil.”
The adjectives Jonas uses to describe Trademaster make it clear that he’s not actually a person. Rather, he’s some kind of magical being that’s purely evil and preys on actual human beings.
Themes
Back on the riverbank, Gabe touches the names carved into his paddle and feels calmer. Trademaster, though, angrily pulls a knife out of his cloak and tosses it to Gabe. Gabe drops his paddle and catches it as Trademaster pulls out another weapon, a massive, curved blade. He disarms Gabe and holds the blade to Gabe’s neck. Then, Trademaster insults Gabe, calling him unworthy and describing bigger, more important people and societies he has destroyed. Suddenly, Gabe realizes Trademaster isn’t a man: he’s “a force disguised as a man,” “simple evil, wearing a cloak.” Gabe suggests he’s not worth killing, then, if Trademaster is so powerful. Trademaster suggests that instead of dueling, they’ll trade.
It seems likely that Trademaster gets Gabe to let go of the paddle and accept the knife because, on some level, he realizes the paddle has power—and that with an actual weapon like a knife, Gabe has no chance against Trademaster. Gabe then realizes what Jonas confirmed in the last passage: that Trademaster isn’t actually human. This is an important point, as it suggests that if Gabe is destroying Trademaster to help humanity, he’s not doing so by destroying a fellow human.
Themes
As the moon suddenly shines through the window in Claire’s cottage, Jonas thinks he sees her skin smooth and that her breath becomes more even. But the moon disappears again and he decides to not disturb her. Nodding off, Jonas doesn’t see Claire’s body continue to grow younger. Back on the riverbank, Trademaster offers Gabe a boat. Gabe isn’t interested, even when Trademaster offers to throw in sun and wind—he already found “belonging” and “love” when he found his mother. But Trademaster then offers to add first Deirdre, and then Claire. Gabe just picks up his paddle and recites his friends’ names. He notices that Claire’s name has appeared on his paddle—and he declines Trademaster’s trade. Remembering Jonas’s advice to use his power, Gabe veers into Trademaster.
Claire’s younger body foreshadows that Gabe is going to be successful—he’s reversing the trade she made with Trademaster. On the riverbank, Trademaster offers Gabe everything he figures Gabe wants. However, Gabe now knows enough to realize that he doesn’t need to figuratively make a deal with the devil to find what he needs: he now has his mother and knows that she loves him. Her love, and that of his friends, gives Gabe the strength he needs to try empathizing with Trademaster, which he does by veering.
Themes
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