Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Autobiography of Red, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Creativity
Communication and Mystery
Time
Self and World
Summary
Analysis
At home, Geryon’s mother asks Geryon about the new kid he’s been hanging out with all the time. She asks whether Geryon’s new friend is older, if he’s in school, and if he lives in the trailer park. Geryon remains silent, aiming a camera at her throat as she talks and refusing to answer her many questions. Geryon’s mother cautions him not to trust people who only come out at night. She admits that while she trusts him, she worries about him, nonetheless. Geryon’s brother comes into the kitchen and announces that he’s going downtown. He leaves, slamming the door behind him. Geryon exits the kitchen soundlessly.
Geryon appears to have grown distant from his mother as an adolescent, using his camera as a shield that protects him from answering her questions. He even seems to align himself with his brother now, evidenced by his decision to follow him to the beach rather than stay behind and answer his mother’s questions.
Themes
