Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Beartown, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Community Breakdown and Inequality
Culture, Character, and Entitlement
Parents and Children
Loyalty and Belonging
Resistance and Courage
Summary
Analysis
Peter and Leo are preparing for the trip to the capital, where they’ll stay overnight for the final game. Even in the midst of the preparations, Peter senses that something isn’t right with Maya. Yet he can’t bring himself to knock on her door. Meanwhile, Kira grocery shops and looks forward to a whole weekend alone with Maya. Her love for her daughter has always felt “unbearable” in its strength.
Peter and Kira don’t know how drastically things are about to change for their family. Yet even in these last moments of ignorance about what’s happened, they’re both thinking about their love and concern for Maya, demonstrating that their children are their top priority.
Themes
Kira gets home from her errands as Peter and Leo are getting into the other car for the trip to the capital. Just then Maya comes out onto the steps. She tells them everything. When she finishes speaking, the ground is littered with groceries and a broken coffee cup. Among the shattered pieces can be seen the image of a bear.
The sight of the shattered bear mug, while a fairly obvious image, indicates how catastrophic Maya’s news is for the whole family, even for the town—Beartown’s fragile sense of unity is about to be proven to be superficial.
Themes
