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Chapter 40
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
Cameron watches as Tova grabs the new stool and removes the lid from Marcellus’s tank, preparing him for an official introduction. She coaxes Marcellus to the surface, then steps aside so Cameron can take her place. He lowers his hand into the water, and almost immediately, Marcellus begins prodding him with a tentacle. Soon, one tentacle wraps around his arm while another taps his shoulder—an action Cameron, stunned, interprets as a kind of prank. At last, he’s befriended the octopus.
This scene marks a pivotal moment for Cameron, as he becomes more deeply integrated into Tova’s world. Marcellus’s playfulness with him—like the playfulness he showed to Tova the first time she took the lid off his tank—serves as a kind of initiation, suggesting that Cameron has finally been accepted into this space, where mutual trust matters. Importantly, Cameron doesn’t question the strangeness of the interaction; instead, he embraces it.
Active
Themes
Leaving Marcellus be, Cameron admires the sucker marks on his arm, thinking they look cool. Then he spots something shiny half-buried in the tank. When he points it out to Tova, Marcellus retrieves it at once—it’s an earring. Tova laughs and explains that Marcellus has a talent for treasure hunting. They return to their cleaning—Tova having convinced Terry to let her supervise part-time while her ankle heals—and the conversation turns to Cameron’s mother (Daphne) and Aunt Jeanne. When Tova asks about Jeanne, Cameron jokes that Tova wouldn’t like her, as she’s not exactly tidy. The comment makes Tova laugh.
Active
Themes
