Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Past the Shallows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Hardship
Addiction and Abuse
Tragedy and Blame
Father Figures and Responsibility
The Duality of Nature
Summary
Analysis
Dad and Jeff resurface from the ocean and Miles helps his father drag Jeff onto the deck. Having been deprived of oxygen in the deep water, blood pours out of Jeff’s nose and ears and one of Dad’s eyes is full of blood and bulging out of its socket. Miles tries to explain that the engine gave out, but Dad shoves him against the boat’s railing in a fit of rage.
Dad seemingly blames his sons for all of his life’s tragedies and failures. As a result, though Miles is clearly not at fault for the boat’s engine failing, Dad is quick to condemn him. His ongoing addiction and abusive nature have made his default temperament one of impulsive anger rather than reasonable objectivity.
Themes
Miles falls overboard into the freezing water and struggles to pull himself up, but Dad is holding him under. The swell rolls back and Miles gasps for air with Dad’s hand still clenching his throat. Dad tells Miles “that’s what it feels like” and shoves him under again. Just as Miles begins to feel lightheaded, something pulls him out of the water.
Miles frantically tried to save Dad and Jeff while they were underwater, but Dad’s temper does not allow him to consider the possibility that the incident was a random accident. Instead, he blames Miles to the point that he wants his son to experience the same horrifying feeling of drowning. Again, senseless blame leads to further pain.
Themes
Back on the deck, Harry furiously punches and kicks Dad, demanding that he let Miles go. Dad is laughing as though the terrifying incident is funny. Once Miles is back up, Harry runs for the radio in the boat’s cabin to call for help. Dad picks Harry up and shakes him as he drags him out to the deck, calling him an idiot for making their presence known in protected waters and telling him that “you always fuck everything up.” Dad slams the Harry against the boat rails and pulls his hair until he stops resisting.
Harry is well aware of Dad’s potential for violence, and his decision to retaliate against his father in defense of Miles shows his infallible loyalty to his older brother. Dad is more culpable for the engine failure than anyone else, since the boat belongs to him and he was the one who decided to go out in the middle of a storm. Despite this obvious fact, he projects his own self-blame onto Miles and Harry, lashing out in violence against his sons who have done nothing wrong.
Themes
As Dad pins Harry against the railing, he notices the shark tooth around his neck that Miles gave him to wear earlier. Realizing whom the tooth once belonged to, Dad tells Harry that “she was leaving, because of him. Because of you.” In a rare moment of provocation, Harry responds: “I’m glad.”
This passage is a significant piece of the puzzle in making sense of Mum’s death. Dad suggests that the tooth belonged to another man who caused Mum to leave. This coincides with Miles’s memory of being in Mum’s car surrounded by bags of clothes—she was likely leaving Dad permanently on the night of the accident. His addition of “because of you” subtly implies that Harry is likely the other man’s son rather than Dad’s. Harry’s response of “I’m glad” is the same response that Joe delivered to Dad when his father told him that he was “just like him” and broke Joe’s arm. This parallel could signify that Joe, too, is the son of the other man.
Themes
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Furious at Harry’s defiance, Dad shoves him overboard just as an enormous wave swells over the boat. Harry tries to run but Jeff pulls him down by his leg. The boat tips violently as a giant surge of water crashes over the sides and onto the deck. Miles is thrown into the railing and tries to hold on until the boat regains its balance. But when he looks back, he only sees Dad and Harry is nowhere to be found.
The water parallels Dad’s emotions here—just as his violent anger has reached its climax, so has the storm finally taken hold of the boat. His decision to throw Harry overboard is the culmination of his internalized self-blame and abusive behavior, as he risks irreparably fragmenting his family by putting Harry’s life in jeopardy.
Themes
