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
Callum sits for hours as the sun sets. When did life get so complicated? He had no idea he’d be so unwanted once he got to Heathcroft. It doesn’t seem like an education is going to help much, either: no Cross is going to employ Callum for anything but menial jobs. But Callum desperately wants to learn. He just doesn’t know how that will help him.
Callum is quickly becoming disillusioned with his new life at Heathcroft. He realizes that life isn’t actually going to be so different: he’ll be educated, but his highly segregated world isn’t going to offer him any way to use his education.
Themes
Callum doesn’t understand why things are the way they are. Crosses are supposedly closer to God, according to the Good Book. But the Good Book also says things like, “Love thy neighbor,” which Callum takes to mean that people should live and let live. If that’s true, why do Crosses treat noughts terribly? Noughts aren’t enslaved anymore, but according to Dad, not much has changed in practice. Dad and Mum don’t believe in the Good Book, since it’s written by Crosses and is therefore biased. Callum, though, thinks “the truth is the truth,” though he can’t understand why even the word “nought” is negative—it means nothing. Why were the noughts given that name?
Interestingly, Callum seems to either believe, or want to believe, in what the Good Book says—even if his parents insist the Good Book is biased. This could reflect Callum’s desire to be more like the Crosses (at least in terms of culture and societal wealth). The Good Book, though, also seems to be part of the justification for why noughts were enslaved and are now second-class citizens in society. This may all reflect Callum’s innocence and the fact that he’s still a child trying desperately to make sense of the world around him.
Themes
Callum spits, “I don’t understand,” and realizes soon after that Sephy is watching him. She turns and walks away. Callum chases after her and grabs ahold of her arm, but Sephy says she’s not going to stay where she’s not wanted. She’s still upset, even when Callum says that what he did today was for her own good.
Sephy’s behavior adds insult to injury for Callum, as he’s watching their friendship slip away at the same time as he confronts how racist his society is. Society—and Sephy’s lack of understanding of how racism works—is pulling them apart.
Themes
As Sephy turns away again, Callum is suddenly terrified—losing her would feel like the end of everything. He suggests they go up to Celebration Park on Saturday for a picnic. Sephy agrees, but says she still won’t hang out tonight—Callum is a snob who clearly believes that noughts and Crosses can’t be seen together. If he’s not a snob, he’s a hypocrite, since he’ll only talk to Sephy when nobody can see. Callum tells Sephy to get lost and watches her walk away.
Callum doesn’t quite know what to do with Sephy, but he knows he definitely doesn’t want to lose this friendship. So it’s difficult for him to hear her call him a hypocrite or a snob. For Callum, because he’s a nought, he can only safely be himself with Sephy on the beach, where nobody is going to watch them and judge him. Sephy doesn’t understand this.
Themes
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