Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Boy Jack, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bravery, Duty, and Honor
Parental Expectations
Patriotism and the British Empire
Loss and Resilience
Summary
Analysis
Rudyard Kipling hums to himself in the drawing room of his home in Sussex, surrounded by bookshelves, cabinets, and a painting of his young daughter. When his son, Jack, enters wearing a suit, Rudyard looks him over approvingly, remarking that he looks quite fine—except that he’s not wearing his pince-nez. Jack explains that the pince-nez never stays on his nose, which is why he’d much rather wear glasses. But his father forbids this, believing in the importance of first impressions. Wearing a pince-nez, Rudyard insists, will impress the men they’re about to visit.
Right away, it becomes clear that Rudyard wants to micromanage his son’s life. He pays scrupulous attention to Jack’s physical appearance, forcing him to wear a pince-nez (glasses without the earpieces) because he wants to meticulously curate the way Jack looks. It’s not yet clear why Jack needs to look so sharp today, but Rudyard’s focus on making him seem presentable is apparent all the same. What’s more, the fact that the pince-nez keeps falling off Jack’s nose subtly symbolizes the ways in which Rudyard’s fatherly pressure only makes Jack’s life more difficult.
Themes
Fussing over his son’s appearance, Rudyard also suggests that Jack brush his hair back because he has a large forehead—a sign of intelligence. He then explains that Jack will meet with an army doctor and another military official. As his father says this, Jack brushes his hair back and stands up straight, his chin held high to keep the pince-nez from slipping off his nose. This pose pleases his father immensely.
As Jack prepares to meet with army doctors, he has to deal with his father’s overbearing suggestions about how to make himself look formidable and impressive. This moment is lightly humorous, especially since Rudyard is so pleased by Jack’s impeccable posture. In reality, though, the only reason Jack stands like this is to balance the pince-nez—which, of course, Rudyard has forced him to wear. While Rudyard thinks his son is responding well to his parental guidance, then, Jack is actually struggling under the pressure of his father’s intense expectations.
Themes
Rudyard suggests that he and Jack do a little rehearsal, with him asking Jack a few questions the army officials might pose. Jack’s hesitance to play along frustrates Rudyard, who reminds him that this is for Jack’s benefit, not his own. Rudyard isn’t just doing this to entertain himself, after all. When Jack agrees to rehearse his answers, Rudyard asks him why he wants to join the army. But Jack stumbles over his words, having trouble remembering what he should say.
In this moment, the reason Rudyard makes such a fuss over Jack’s appearance becomes clear: his meeting that day will determine if he can join the army. Although Rudyard claims that he’s helping his son for Jack’s own sake, his level of investment in the way Jack looks and acts suggests that this isn’t necessarily the case. Rather, it seems likely that Rudyard wants Jack to join the army just as much—or perhaps even more—than Jack himself, perhaps liking the idea of having a courageous, honorable son in the military.
Themes
As Jack hesitantly tries to explain why he wants to join the army, Rudyard helps him along with a few guiding words. He gently nudges Jack into saying that he wants to help “preserve” England’s way of life, but Jack stops short of finishing this thought because the pince-nez falls off his nose. Frustrated with the pince-nez, he tries to convince Rudyard to let him wear his glasses, but his father reminds him that the navy has already rejected him because of his poor eyesight. For this reason, it’s important that Jack make a good impression at his meeting with the army officials today. He has to really give this meeting his all.
Rudyard’s obsession with the pince-nez starts to make a little more sense, as it’s revealed that Jack was rejected by the navy because he has trouble seeing without glasses. And yet, wearing a pince-nez won’t change the fact that Jack can’t see without eyewear. The only difference is that Rudyard thinks a pince-nez is more dignified and impressive than normal glasses. Ironically, a pince-nez is much less practical when it comes to military combat, since regular glasses are much more likely to stay on Jack’s face in the heat of the moment. This just illustrates the way Rudyard’s expectations for Jack are out of touch with reality, since he prioritizes silly ideas about respectability and dignity over what actually makes sense for Jack. Rudyard’s coaching of Jack also reveals a hint of his patriotic ideals (“preserving[]” the English way of life) which, again, don’t necessarily align with Jack’s values.
Themes
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With the pince-nez back on his face, Jack once again tries to say why he wants to join the army. But the pince-nez falls yet again, and this time he really loses his patience, yelling that he simply can’t do this. He has done his absolute best and just can’t get through this while wearing the pince-nez. Rudyard strongly disagrees, but he doesn’t have time to convince his son because Carrie, his wife, enters the drawing room and urges Rudyard to be easier on him.
Jack’s frustration hints at the tension in his relationship with his father. Although he obediently goes along with his father’s demands, it’s clear that he has some internal frustration that just keeps building and building—until, of course, he can’t take it anymore and yells out in anger. In other words, the parental pressure that Rudyard exerts just stresses Jack out and makes it harder for him to do simple things—like, for example, state why he wants to join the army.
Themes
Carrie changes the flowers underneath the painting on the wall. Rudyard tells her to leave, since he and Jack are in the middle of something, but Carrie can sense that Jack is upset. When she asks if he's all right, though, he pretends nothing’s wrong. Still, Carrie says he shouldn’t volunteer for the army just to please his father and her. He has ample time to decide if he really wants to become a soldier. Jack, however, assures her that he has already made his decision. Plus, Rudyard disagrees that Jack has time. According to him, Jack should join the army as soon as possible, even though he’s not quite 16.
Rudyard and Carrie have opposing viewpoints. Rudyard, for his part, wants Jack to rush into the army as soon as possible. But Carrie is hesitant to pressure Jack into doing something he doesn’t want to. Of course, it’s not clear if Carrie’s concern actually has to do with what Jack himself wants, or if she just doesn’t want him to join the army because she’s afraid he’ll get hurt. Either way, Jack finds himself pulled between his two parents as they argue about what’s best for him.
Themes
Jack isn’t a boy anymore, Rudyard argues. Carrie shouldn’t keep treating him like a child, as this will just turn him into a weakling. Nonetheless, Carrie doesn’t think they should urge him toward the army, despite Rudyard’s belief that they would be bad parents if they didn’t do this. According to him, in one year—when it’s 1914—England will be fighting to preserve “civilisation itself,” and keeping Jack from contributing to this effort would be a terribly unfair thing to do.
Rudyard makes it clear that he wants Jack to become a strong man, not someone who runs from duty by not joining the military. More importantly, Rudyard reveals that it’s currently 1913—one year before the start of World War I. This, it seems, is why Rudyard is so fixated on the importance of defending “civilisation itself”: he (correctly) thinks the world is on the cusp of a transformative war. Because of this, he believes that Jack has a responsibility to serve his country and, in doing so, protect civilization’s status quo. Moreover, Rudyard sees it as his own parental responsibility to urge Jack into the army, as if he’d be a bad father if he let Jack stay home at such a pivotal moment in England’s history.
Themes
Jack’s eyesight is so terrible that navy officials only gave him five minutes of their time before sending him home, refusing to let him enlist. Carrie reminds Rudyard of this, trying to show him that Jack’s poor sight isn’t something they can ignore. However, Rudyard feels they have to at least try to get Jack into the military—Germany will soon make its attack, and he wants Jack to be part of the fighting when it begins. Carrie quickly points out that Jack joining the army is what Rudyard wants, not necessarily what Jack wants, but Rudyard dismisses this, insisting that he wants Jack to join for Jack’s own “sake.” He then sends Carrie out of the room.
Carrie’s concerns about Jack joining the army are all quite valid. After all, Jack has already been turned away from military service because of his eyesight, indicating that he’s unfit to serve. The fact that this doesn’t deter Rudyard emphasizes just how much he believes in the importance of duty, since he’s willing to send his son to war even though Jack’s poor eyesight would clearly put him in extra danger on the battlefield.
Themes
When Carrie leaves, Rudyard tries to encourage his son, telling him to stand strong and keep pursuing his dream of joining the army. Jack, for his part, says he’ll try one more time to rehearse what he’ll say at the meeting that afternoon, then delivers a perfect little speech about how he wants to fight for his country because Germany has been readying itself for war for years. Unless British citizens step up now, England won’t stand a chance. Deeply pleased, Rudyard shakes Jack’s hand and congratulates him on a job well done.
In this moment, Jack seems to go along with his father’s lofty ideas about the importance of defending England. Although it seems clear that Rudyard has pushed him toward the military, Jack does appear motivated to join the army. However, it’s unclear if he actually believes in the importance of fighting on behalf of England or if he just says this to please his demanding father. Thus, the scene concludes on an ambiguous note.
Themes
