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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Great Alone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma and Violence
Paranoia and the Vietnam War
Isolation
Family and Community
Death and Grief
Coming of Age
Summary
Analysis
It is the spring of 1974 and rain is flooding the city of Seattle, creating a lot of tension between its inhabitants. 13-year-old Leni Allbright is especially stressed because she is starting a new school and her parents are arguing again. Her father is angry, and her mother is trying to pacify him, saying, “You need help, baby. It’s not your fault. The nightmares—” When Leni leaves to go to school, her parents momentarily calm themselves, though she hears them arguing again as soon as she walks out the door.
Weather is important in “The Great Alone” because of its impact on characters’ moods, particularly Leni’s father. Immediately, the novel establishes that bad weather leads to tension. Though Leni’s parents try to shield her from their argument, their attempt is futile. Leni can hear them through the walls and when she walks out the door, and she’s clearly heard them argue before.
Themes
When Leni was younger, her parents were happy. However, her father, Ernt, had to leave to fight in the Vietnam War and he came back a changed man. While her father was away, Leni and her mother lived in a number of different communes and protested the war. Ever since returning from the war, Ernt cannot keep a job and he experiences rapid mood swings. He, along with Leni, is also dismayed at the general state of the world, which is undergoing events such as the Watergate scandal, the Munich Olympics massacre, and Patty Hearst’s kidnapping.
The Vietnam War was a divisive time in American history and Leni’s parents fall on different sides of the divide. Leni’s mother is staunchly anti-war, while Ernt is a veteran. Historically, the war, along with the other events mentioned, led many Americans to distrust the government and become concerned about increases in violence.
Themes
Leni feels isolated from the world. Ernt makes the family move on a yearly basis and she is not able to make friends. When she returns home from school, her father apologizes for losing his temper earlier. Leni believes his apology is sincere and knows his actions are a result of what he experienced in Vietnam. Leni recalls the many nights she has heard her mother, Cora, have to comfort her father after he woke up sobbing in his sleep.
Clearly, Ernt is dealing with an undiagnosed mental illness as a result of his time in the war. In 1974, when this novel is set, there still wasn’t a lot of knowledge about how to treat traumatized soldiers returning from war. However, Leni and Cora understand what caused Ernt’s issues, and do their best to cope with them.
Themes
In mid-April, Ernt enters the house with a big smile on his face. He has received a letter from Earl Harlan that says Earl’s son, Bo, has left Ernt a cabin and 40 acres of land in Alaska. Bo was a friend of Ernt’s from Vietnam. The two men were captured and tortured together and eventually their captors made Ernt watch as they killed Bo. Ernt is excited about the prospect of moving to Alaska, but Leni and Cora are hesitant. Ultimately, though, Leni knows her mother will give in, and the family will do whatever her father wants. Like her mother, Leni plans to go along with her father’s wishes in hopes that he will find happiness.
Because Leni already feels isolated, a move to Alaska does not seem like it will help things. However, Ernt is the one in charge, and Cora is willing to sacrifice some of Leni’s happiness, as well as her own, so that Ernt might regain some of his. As the story progresses, Cora’s inability to stand up to Ernt for the sake of herself and her daughter becomes increasingly important.
Themes
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