Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Noughts and Crosses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism, Division, and Tragedy
Awareness and Privilege
Love, Lust, Power, and Violence
Friendship
Youth, Innocence, and Growing Up
Family
Summary
Analysis
Mr. Hadley explains that he had extra security installed after Sephy was kidnapped for exactly this reason: he knew Sephy’s kidnappers would try again. Sephy screams that Callum wasn’t here to kidnap her, but no one will listen to her. The police wouldn’t listen as they took Callum away, and now Mr. Hadley won’t listen to her either. Mr. Hadley insists that Callum was one of Sephy’s kidnappers, but Sephy says Callum saved her. Mr. Hadley says that Callum just raped Sephy and got her pregnant.
Once again, Sephy runs up against the fact that most people in her society don’t believe that noughts and Crosses can be genuine friends, let alone be in love with one another. By getting the extra security and insisting that Callum is once again trying to kidnap her, Mr. Hadley shows he doesn’t believe Sephy that she loves Callum and had consensual sex with him.
Themes
Sephy insists Callum didn’t rape her, but Mother says he must have if Sephy is pregnant. Shouting, Sephy says she’s pregnant because she and Callum had consensual sex. It was great and she regrets that she can’t have sex with Callum again. At this, Mr. Hadley slaps Sephy so hard she falls. He insists she’s not his daughter anymore; she’s a “blanker’s slut” and she’s going to have an abortion. He marches away and Mother follows. Sephy sobs.
Sephy’s relationship with her parents certainly wasn’t improving, but with Mr. Hadley’s slap and his insult, her relationship with them gets even worse. Sephy is already suffering punishment for daring to love Callum: her own family is turning against her, further exposing its dysfunction and unwillingness to support its members.
Themes
