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Chapter 23
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
Leni knows instantly that her father is dead. She watches as her mother cradles Ernt’s body in her arms. Cora tells Leni to call the police, knowing that she will likely be convicted of murder. Leni, refusing to let her mother go to jail, suggests that they hide the body instead. Cora is hesitant, but ultimately agrees. Together, the two of them drag Ernt’s body to the snowmobile and drive it to the center of the lake. Cora drills a hole in the ice and pushes Ernt’s corpse into it, using animal traps to weigh it down.
Once again, both Cora and Leni find themselves making questionable decisions in an attempt to help one another. Like in Leni’s dream, Ernt ends up at the bottom of a lake, though this time he can’t reach up and grab her. Nonetheless, he is still causing Leni and Cora problems, even in death.
Themes
When Cora and Leni return home, Cora tells her daughter to go to Marge and explain what’s happened. Leni does as her mother asks and heads to Marge’s house. Marge is both relieved and alarmed by what’s happened. They return to the Allbright cabin, and Marge tells Leni to pack a bag, which she does. Marge then explains to Leni that she and Cora will have to leave Alaska; otherwise, they are sure to be caught. Leni is surprised and saddened by this, but she does as she is told. Before leaving, Marge and Cora manipulate the crime scene to make it look as though Ernt killed Cora and Leni.
Marge holds true to the promise she’s made since the beginning of the novel and comes through when Cora needs her most. She helps Cora and Leni escape, knowing it’s unlikely that she’ll ever see them again. Meanwhile, Leni agrees to help her mother cover up the crime before understanding what she signed up for. Leni hides Ernt’s body not knowing it will take her away from Matthew and the region she’s grown to love, despite her father’s best attempts to ruin her life here.
Themes
Shortly after they devise their plan, Leni and Cora are on the ferry to Homer. Before Leni leaves Alaska, she insists on seeing Matthew one last time, although Cora thinks it is too dangerous. Ignoring her mother, Leni heads to the hospital, keeps her head down, and makes her way to Matthew’s room. When she sees Matthew, she tells him that she is pregnant and that she must go away. Matthew can only respond by making guttural noises. Not wanting to be seen by the nurses, Leni slips away before anyone can recognize her, feeling guilty that she is abandoning Matthew. Meanwhile, although Matthew cannot speak and his thoughts remain jumbled, he senses Leni’s presence, which he internalizes as “HER.”
Again, Leni proves that she is willing to act riskily if it means she can be with Matthew. Leni does not want Matthew to feel as though she is betraying him so, for her, one last trip to the hospital is necessary. Although Leni doesn’t think Matthew understands her, this is another time where the novel slips into the first person and provides Matthew’s perspective. Indeed, Matthew does not know what Leni is saying, but he knows she is important to him. This is notable, as it reveals that Matthew does still have a significant amount of cognitive functioning.
Themes
