Previous
Interlude
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Graveyard Book, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Community, Identity, and Coming of Age
Parents and Guardians
Life and Death
Good, Evil, and Assumptions
Summary
Analysis
One rainy day, Bod sits in a sheltered spot in the graveyard, reading. When he hears a voice coming his way and cursing, Bod looks up and sees Thackeray Porringer. Thackeray died of anger at 14, after his employer tricked and humiliated him. He died clutching his only possession—a copy of Robinson Crusoe—and he wants his book back. Bod reveals himself and promises to give the book back when he’s done, but he hands it over when he sees how hurt Thackeray looks. Thackeray punches Bod’s ear, but it seems to hurt Thackeray’s hand as much as it does Bod’s head. Bod heads down the path, slips, and almost runs into Miss Euphemia and Tom.
Bod’s desire to read reflects his growing curiosity about the world. But living in a graveyard, Bod has few opportunities to find books that will teach him about the world outside of the graveyard, hence his implied theft of Thackeray’s book. Thackeray’s violence adds insult to injury, as it may make Bod feel less welcome in the graveyard. This all situates Bod in a phase where he’s growing more independent and curious, while also finding that the graveyard can’t satisfy all his curiosities.
Themes
Tom and Miss Euphemia warn Bod to be careful and then note that Silas is looking for him. When Bod finds Silas, he explains what happened with Thackeray. Silas cuts Bod off. He states that Bod has been here for 11 years and it’s time to discuss where Bod came from. Bod’s heart pounds. Silas says that Bod is obviously different—Mrs. Owens and Mr. Owens took Bod in and Silas is his guardian, even though Bod is alive. Before he came to the graveyard, Bod had parents and an older sister, but someone killed them. Silas believes that person still wants to kill Bod. At this, Bod shrugs—all his friends are dead. Silas says that this is true, but Bod is alive. That means he has the potential to do anything. If he’s dead, he can’t do anything.
Silas recognizes that Bod is curious about the world around him—and along with that, Bod is probably also curious about his own history. It’s telling that Silas seems to focus more on the death of Bod’s biological family than on how important it is that the Owenses adopted Bod. This suggests that Silas wants to frighten Bod into staying alive. For Bod, though, death isn’t scary. He’s surrounded by dead people all day. But just as the novel previously noted that everything has a season, Silas insists that it’s not Bod’s season to die, as he hasn’t yet lived his life.
Themes
Bod thinks this isn’t totally true that one can’t do anything once they’re dead; his ghostly parents still adopted him even though they’re dead. He asks Silas about Silas’s existence. Silas explains cryptically that he’s not alive, but if he’s “ended,” he’ll just stop existing. His kind either “are” or “are not.” Bod doesn’t follow, but Silas reiterates that it’s essential to keep Bod safe. Silas is legitimately surprised when Bod says he wants to go to school. Bod points out that he’ll have to live outside the graveyard one day, and he needs to know more. Silas argues, but Bod says that Silas has it all wrong. The question isn’t who’s going to protect Bod outside the graveyard. Instead, the question is who’s going to protect Bod’s prospective killer from Bod. At this, Silas agrees to find Bod a school.
At school, most people don’t notice Bod. His teachers suspect he’s religious, since he doesn’t have a computer or a phone. He’s a model student and spends most of his time in the library. Nick and Mo, on the other hand, are not model students. Nick is big and likes to steal, while Mo is small and smart. She tells Nick what to steal and who to intimidate. As they count the money they’ve taken from a bunch of 11-year-olds, they lament that Paul Singh hasn’t paid up yet. Mo tells Nick to remind Paul that Paul stole a CD. She says they’re a good team, like Batman and Robin. They hear a voice say that they’re more like Jekyll and Hyde.
Themes
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Out in the hallway, Bod sees Paul Singh looking at coins in his hand. Bod asks if Nick and Mo are waiting for the money. He suggests that Paul refuse to pay up. Bod knows that the bullies filmed Paul stealing the CD, but he suggests that the police will be more interested in Nick and Mo’s blackmail than in the fact that Paul was forced to steal. At this, Paul smiles for the first time in weeks. He and several of his friends refuse to play along with Nick and Mo’s bullying. They demand their money back and threaten to go to the police. Mo believes “Bob Owens” is to blame.
Themes
Since Bod is used to people ignoring him, he’s acutely aware when Nick and Mo follow him after school one day. Bod goes slowly, making sure they follow him to a tiny graveyard behind the local church. Once in the graveyard, Nick threatens to punch Bod. But when Nick swings, Bod suddenly disappears. Mo begins to feel nervous and afraid. Once Mo voices her fears, Nick is terrified too. Together, they run all the way to Nick’s house. As Bod watches them go, a female ghost compliments Bod on his Fade and his Fear. The ghost is thrilled to meet Bod, “the live boy,” and she wakes up her husband and her husband’s first wife. They suggest other ways that Bod can frighten Nick and Mo if this incident doesn’t work.
Themes
When Bod excuses himself, the husband sends Silas his regards. He says it’s nice to know that the Honour Guard is there; Bod has no idea what this means. Even though Bod now attends school during the day, his nightly lessons don’t stop. Mr. Pennyworth is thrilled with Bod’s Fading progress these days and tells Bod about Hauntings. Their lesson goes until four in the morning. At school later, Bod struggles to stay awake. He’s so tired that he barely notices when a student from another class stops in to borrow a textbook—until that student turns out to be Nick. Nick stabs a sharpened pencil into Bod’s hand. In the halls later, Mo tells Bod that he’s weird and friendless.
Themes
Bod wonders if he shouldn’t have gotten involved. Nick and Mo now spread rumors about Bod and everyone seems to know who Bod is. Silas had told Bod to go through school partly Faded, but now this is impossible. That night, Bod tells Silas what happened. Silas is livid. He points out that in the modern era, “they” can keep track of Bod. In his estimation, the only thing to do is for Bod to not go back. After a moment, Bod says that he doesn’t just like learning—it’s nice to be in a room with living people. Silas says scathingly that he wouldn’t know what that’s like, and he forbids Bod to go back to school. Bod spits that he’d rather leave the graveyard than give up on school. He walks away.
Nick is asleep and dreaming he’s a pirate captain. Suddenly, his dream changes—he’s alone and an ugly, scary ship is coming for him. Nick finds himself on the deck of the new ship, talking to a scary man who closely resembles Bod. The man says he’s Nobody and tells Nick to “turn over a new leaf” or things will get bad. Nick’s dream changes again and he finds himself in a school corridor. The floor pitches like the sea. Nick points out that Bod can’t hurt him in a dream, but Bod cocks his head and says that “they” are hungry below deck. Bod says that if Nick doesn’t reform, he’ll have to go below and confront the creatures there. Nick wakes up screaming. Outside Nick’s window, Bod is proud of his Dreamwalk. He knows Nick will leave younger kids alone now.
Themes
Bod wanders away. He tries to decide if he wants to hole up in a library or find an island, like Robinson Crusoe. Unbeknownst to Bod, Mo is watching him. Bod enters an alley and Liza whispers in his ear. She asks if he’s running away and says that the living are disappointing. The living, she insists, seem brave—but they just run away. Liza points out that Bod will hurt Mrs. Owens by leaving, but Bod says that he had a fight with Silas. He tells Liza a bit about what happened at school. Liza, however, says that “he” is out there and wants to kill Bod. Everyone in the graveyard wants to keep Bod alive so he can surprise, impress, and disappoint them. Bod notes that Silas will be angry, but Liza says this is because Silas cares.
Bod decides Liza is right. He turns back toward the graveyard. Suddenly, Liza tells Bod to run or Fade. A big car with a light on top stops in front of Bod and two policemen get out. Mo follows them out of the car and says Bod broke things in her garden. One policeman grabs Bod and demands a name and address. The officer doesn’t believe that Bod’s name is Nobody and shoves Bod in the backseat with Mo. The officers let Mo out at her house and Bod learns that one of the officers is her uncle. On the way to the station, Bod asks if there’s a prison for kids, but Mo’s uncle won’t answer. As Bod looks out the window, he sees a large bat-like creature.
Themes
One officer tells Bod that this can be easy if Bod cooperates. As the car turns, it hits something that looks like a person. The officers get out to inspect the damage and Bod discovers his doors are locked. When Bod leans over to see what happened, he sees Silas. Bod bangs on the windows and says Silas is his dad. Silas is deathly still and Bod accuses the officers of killing him. As the officers argue about what they saw, Bod tells them what he saw: Mo’s uncle agreed to do her a favor, arrested Bod without a warrant, and ran Bod’s dad over. The officers return to arguing and Bod Fades. Silas swirls around Bod and picks him up to take him home. They both apologize to each other and Bod agrees to not return to school.
Themes
Mo is having the worst week of her life. Nick won’t speak to her, her uncle and parents are livid, and the little kids aren’t afraid of her anymore. To make things worse, she has to clean the science labs alone—Bod was supposed to help her, but he disappeared from school. The supervising teacher doesn’t even remember Bod, which annoys Mo even more. After the teacher leaves, Mo gets cold. Mo thinks someone is watching her as the dead creatures in jars begin to move. She says out loud that she’s not afraid and Bod appears. He notes that it sucks to be frightened and calmly says he’s leaving school. He asks if Mo has ever been haunted. Mo asks if Bod is going to haunt her, but Bod disappears without answering.
Themes
Bod and Silas stand at the top of the hill. Bod admits that he was wrong to “selfishly” stand up for the other kids at school, but Silas says that Bod wasn’t selfish. He just needs to be around other living people. The problem is that the only way to be truly safe is to be dead—and death means that a person’s adventures are over. Bod says that his potential killer is still out there and asks if Silas is going to forbid him from leaving the graveyard. Silas says that they can work something out. He suggests that Miss Lupescu could take Bod to a football match when she visits next. Silas also says that “they” are still looking for Bod, but he won’t explain who “they” are.
