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Chapter 14
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Remarkably Bright Creatures, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Grief and Memory
Loneliness and Companionship
Family
Closure and Healing
Summary
Analysis
As Ethan drives Tova to Charter Village, he feels quietly satisfied, knowing that she could’ve asked any of the Knit-Wits for a ride, but she chose him. He even woke up early to trim his beard and neaten up, though now his extra cup of tea has made his hands jittery. As he drums them lightly against the wheel, Tova calls them “honeybee hands”—a phrase she once used for Erik’s restless fingers when he was young. Ethan is taken aback by her casual mention of Erik, knowing how rarely she talks about her son.
Ethan’s observation that Tova didn’t need to ask him to drive her is valid, and it hints that her feelings for him may also run deeper than she lets on. When she casually uses an old phrase tied to Erik, it pierces Ethan’s usually composed demeanor. It’s an intimate moment, especially coming from someone who rarely speaks of her late son. This suggests she must consider Ethan quite special.
Active
Themes
While Tova collects Lars’s belongings, Ethan impulsively joins a tour of the facility. Charter Village is far nicer than he expected—lush grounds, tennis courts, a jacuzzi, and beds outfitted with six-hundred thread-count sheets. Their tagline, “We Specialize in Happy Endings!” strikes him as both cheerful and slightly surreal. He finds himself thinking that, if he could afford it, he might just move there himself. When Tova finally returns with a box of Lars’s things, they head back to the truck. But as Ethan loads the box into the backseat, a resident application inside the box catches his eye.
Active
Themes
