Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Gem of the Ocean, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Meaning of Freedom
Economic Exploitation
The Value of Community
History and Trauma
The Power of Belief
Summary
Analysis
While Black Mary washes Aunt Ester’s feet, Aunt Ester talks about life. She tells Black Mary that it’s okay to embrace life’s many uncertainties. Living is all about having adventures and going on journeys. Aunt Ester herself has been on an adventure ever since she was nine, when her mother sent her to live with a woman named Ester Tyler. Aunt Ester’s name was different back then, and she won’t tell anyone what it was. She lived with Miss Tyler until the old woman died, at which point she took on her name, figuring that somebody had to keep the name going.
The process of naming is important in Gem of the Ocean, as characters like Solly and Aunt Ester choose their own names (though Aunt Ester apparently inherits hers). There’s a subtle implication that leaving behind one’s own original name is like embracing a new kind of freedom. In Aunt Ester’s case, she’s also continuing a certain legacy, as if to honor the woman that took her in and raised her for the majority of her upbringing.
Themes
Aunt Ester notes that some people don’t want to remember things, but she herself isn’t afraid of remembering everything. She’s 285 years old and carries not just her own memories but also other people’s. If Black Mary doesn’t want to take on her name, then Aunt Ester will have to find somebody who will. When Black Mary points out that she never said she didn’t want the name, Aunt Ester says that the young woman often acts like it. She then sends her to fetch Citizen Barlow.
Aunt Ester’s age suggests that she truly does have certain mystical or spiritual powers. In a way, she’s a living reminder of the entire history of slavery in the United States, since the first slave ship arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619— exactly 285 years before 1904, the year in which Gem of the Ocean takes place. For this reason, it’s important that Aunt Ester find somebody to continue her legacy, since she’s an important part of the Black community in the United States, ultimately keeping people from letting the horrors of slavery slip out of the country’s collective consciousness.
Themes
When Citizen comes to sit with Aunt Ester, she asks about the man he killed. He then pulls out a handful of nails and explains that he was the one who stole them from the mill—not Garret Brown. When he saw that everyone was blaming Garret, he told himself that he should come clean, but there were too many distractions. Before he knew it, Garret had drowned. Now he feels like he has a hole inside and that his insides might seep out of it.
When Citizen finally reveals that he was the one to steal the bucket of nails, his unhappiness begins to make a bit more sense. Not only has he faced economic exploitation in an environment in which he has very little support, but he’s also racked with guilt. And yet, he clearly stole the nails because he had no other way of getting out of debt with the mill. He doesn’t say what he was going to do with the nails, but it’s reasonable to assume that he would have sold them in order to pay back what he owed. Considering that the mill took advantage of him by lying about his wages and intentionally saddling him with debt, it seems somewhat understandable that he stole from the institution in order to improve his situation. Unfortunately, though, his theft led to Garret Brown’s death, leaving Citizen with nothing but guilt and sorrow.
Themes
Aunt Ester tells Citizen that he'll never be able to change what happened. What he should do, then, is figure out why Garret Brown decided to drown instead of simply accepting 30 days in jail. Citizen assumes it’s because Garret didn’t want people think of him as a thief, but Aunt Ester disagrees. Garret knew he wasn’t a thief, and that’s all that would have mattered. The real reason he decided to drown, Aunt Ester says, is because he’d “rather die in truth” than “live a lie.” This decision was the only choice he could have made that would prove his life is worth more than a bunch of nails. With that in mind, Aunt Ester says, Citizen has to figure out how to live his own life correctly.
According to Aunt Ester, Garret Brown didn’t choose death simply to show everyone around him that he was innocent. Rather, he chose death because that was the only way of preserving his sense of self-worth and integrity. He knew he was innocent, so he couldn’t let himself take on undeserved punishment. The main idea here is that it’s important for people to be at peace with themselves and with their own decisions. Citizen, however, isn’t at peace with himself because he failed to stand up and take the blame for stealing the nails.
Themes
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Aunt Ester assures Citizen that she’s going to help him. She’s going to show him a place called the City of Bones. First, though, he has to go out and find two pennies lying side by side. He can’t find a penny on one street and then another on a different street—they have to be next to each other. When he finds them, he should come right back to Aunt Ester. He quickly goes upstairs to get his coat and hat, at which point Black Mary enters. When Citizen comes downstairs and prepares to leave, Aunt Ester instructs him to look for a man named Jilson Grant, who is supposed to give him something that he should put in a handkerchief with his two pennies.
None of what Aunt Ester says in this conversation makes much sense yet. What becomes clear, though, is her ability to sweep people up in spiritual rituals aimed at helping people overcome their problems, though it remains unclear how, exactly, she’ll do this. Nonetheless, the tasks she gives Citizen are infused with meaning simply because they’re part of a special ritual.
Themes
Citizen rushes off into the night to find two pennies and Jilson Grant. When Black Mary asks what the pennies are for, Aunt Ester simply says that the purpose of the task is simply to give Citizen something to do. All that matters is whether or not he thinks the two pennies have meaning and power. Once he finds them, he’ll feel as if his life is about to change, which is important if he’s going to “come face to face with himself.” Right as she finishes talking, Eli rushes in and announces that the mill is on fire.
It's quite possible that Aunt Ester has spiritual or supernatural powers, especially given that she’s 285 years old. But it’s also possible that she simply has an excellent understanding of human nature. Finding two pennies won’t have any sort of magical effect on Citizen, but it will have a psychological effect. Although he currently feels out of sorts, finding the pennies will make him feel like he’s capable of real change, ultimately suggesting that simply believing in something can be powerful and transformative.
Themes
