Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Complicated Kindness, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Religion and Dogma
Family and Home
Community and Coming of Age
Narrative and Storytelling
Christian Salvation vs. Earthly Joy
Summary
Analysis
Nomi thinks back to the last years of the 1970s when, like many other Mennonite teenagers, Tash started rebelling against their way of life. The Mouth and Aunt Gonad frequently warned her not to pay so much attention to her physical self, but Tash didn’t pay attention. Instead, she tried to scandalize her parents by singing raunchy songs from Jesus Christ Superstar while Ian accompanied her on the piano. When she would stride out of the house in her skimpy tank tops, Trudie assured Ray that it was just a phase. After watching Tash for a few mournful seconds, she always turned to Nomi with a smile on her face. Nomi didn’t realize that “that sort of bravura could have a shelf life.”
At times, it seems like Tash’s rebellion is completely unique, but here Nomi contextualizes it within a broader trend; she makes her narrative representative not only of her family, but of the dilemmas afflicting her broader community. It’s also interesting that Nomi senses Trudie’s anxiety and instability most when her mother is smiling; for her, the strain of Tash’s rebellion is greatest when she has to pretend everything is alright, just as Nomi feels worst when she has to pretend that she’s getting along well without her mother.
Themes
One day, Mr. Quiring visited the house to tell Trudie and Ray that Tash had been skipping school and ignoring her assignments. He admitted that Tash was very smart and talented, and said it was a shame that she was unable to express herself in this town. After he left, Trudie became angry with Ray, saying that “even Almon Quiring could see that Tash didn’t belong,” but Ray said he was not going to let a stranger tell him about his own daughter. In retrospect, Nomi thinks that Trudie blamed Ray for Tash’s departure, believing that if the entire family had left town she wouldn’t have wanted to run away.
It’s interesting that Mr. Quiring is so sensitive to Tash’s talent; at least for this moment, he’s willing to question the conventions that he normally defends so rigorously. In a way, Nomi is facing the same dilemma now that her mother once did—she knows that she has to leave East Village for her own sanity, but she also doesn’t want to leave or uproot Ray.
Themes
Nomi thinks that Trudie and Tash are the same kind of person, while she and Ray are themselves alike. Trudie seems to view Mr. Quiring as a kind of “guidance counselor” figure for the family. However, Nomi seriously doubts his ability to give useful advice.
Nomi senses that Mr. Quiring occupies a role of power and authority in her family’s life that he doesn’t seem to merit. The fact that Trudie places so much weight in Mr. Quiring’s opinion implies that he may
Themes
More and more, Trudie had to defend Tash against criticism from The Mouth. When Tash skipped a dinner at their grandmother’s house, The Mouth wouldn’t even let Trudie talk about her at the table. Meanwhile, Tash and Ian got library cards in the nearby city and read books about communist philosophy. Tash started talking about “metaphors” all the time—this frustrated Ray, who says that “some things are nothing but what they are.” While Tash’s sexy lingerie and habit of swearing never bothered Nomi, Nomi was worried by her sister’s newfound intellectual interests.
Even though Tash hasn’t been excommunicated, The Mouth is trying to erase her from communal life as much as possible; he’s using ideas of “propriety” and virtue to exert power over his family members. It’s also interesting that while Nomi is unfazed by Tash’s clothes and music, she immediately recognizes that the new ideas she’s learning about will be far more transformative than her first superficial rebellions.
Themes
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