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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Shutter Island, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Illness and Delusion
Conspiracy and Paranoia
Guilt and Grief
Violence and War
Isolation
Summary
Analysis
Exhausted, Teddy walks back to Dr. Cawley’s house. Before he can figure out what to do next, the warden spots him and flags him down. The warden talks to Teddy about the nature of violence and says they are both violent men who have known each other for a long time. Teddy denies the warden’s accusations and suggests the two of them are nothing alike. He also does not understand why the warden is talking to him like they know each other.
When the warden says he has known Teddy for a long time, Teddy assumes he is speaking metaphorically. Teddy made a similar assumption when talking to Noyce, but given his current state, it is hard to know whether to trust such assumptions. Regardless, it seems that, like Dr. Naehring, the warden knows about Teddy’s past and what he is capable of.
Themes
The warden tells Teddy that “God loves violence,” which he thinks is good because too many worthless people are born on Earth. Teddy despises the warden’s philosophy and tells him so. The warden does not care that Teddy does not like him and says he is one of the worthless people he is talking about. The warden tells Teddy he does not approve of Dr. Cawley’s experiment and looks forward to the day when he does not have to deal with Teddy anymore. Teddy says the warden will not have to worry about him much longer because he plans to leave the island the following day. In response, the warden promises him he will never leave the island.
The warden is the most depraved and nihilistic person Teddy has come across who has any degree of power on the island. His words seem to confirm that Dr. Cawley is playing a game—a sort of elaborate experiment—with Teddy, as if Teddy is one of his patients. Then, the warden says something that Teddy has heard for the third time today: there is no escaping Shutter Island. This is the first direct threat he has received from someone in power.
Themes
Teddy goes looking for Chuck but cannot find him. Instead, he runs into Dr. Cawley who has just finished a meeting with the rest of the staff. Dr. Cawley and Teddy also talk about Teddy’s upcoming departure. Teddy says he plans to leave the island as long as someone “wakes us up.” Dr. Cawley catches Teddy’s strange phrasing and asks him who he is talking about. Teddy says that he was referring to himself and Chuck. He also asks Dr. Cawley if he has seen Chuck. In response, Dr. Cawley reacts confusedly and asks Teddy what he is talking about. When Teddy explains that Chuck is his partner, Dr. Cawley tells him he does not know Chuck and that Teddy came to the island alone.
Themes
